Monday, August 18, 2014

Kansas City, MO - August 2014


Writing these travel blogs is a great way to refresh my memory after a long trip. Kansas City, MO was a wonderful surprise. My main goal in visiting was to see the San Francisco Giants and Oakland Athletics play at Kauffman Stadium against the Kansas City Royals. The stadium would be my 24th Major League Ballpark, and I heard they have some good BBQ too! The city was just beautiful, and I had a great visit.


It did not hurt things that I was staying in a mansion - at least over the garage of a mansion. The rental property is located on Janssen Place in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Kansas City. It is done in the Arts & Crafts style with tremendous appeal and a central location. The street is home to massive mansions built in the early 1900's and is just gorgeous. Just watch out for the occasional grandchild's birthday party!


First things first, it is baseball season! Kauffman Stadium was built in 1973 in suburban Kansas City and is right next to Arrowhead Stadium - home of the Kansas City Chiefs. The location is a little weird since I am used to more central ballparks with easy public transportation. However, tailgating is encouraged, so it was cool to see fans arrive early for the fun. The stadium is smaller than most and has a much more intimate atmosphere. The design and team colors really remind me of the Los Angeles Dodgers, but the fans were much nicer! There are massive fountains in the outfield, but this is in honor of Kansas City being the City of Fountains.


When traveling outside California in the summer, you need to remember that it does rain quite a bit. You can expect rain every third or fourth day, so have some rainy day activities up your sleeve. Fortunately, Kansas City has some excellent museums. The National World War I Museum is located in downtown KC under the Liberty Memoral which was erected after the Great War. This impressive museum does an excellent job of explaining why WWI happened, the nature of the conflict, and the aftermath of its damage. This is truly a gem and leaves the visitor much better off knowing this important, but often neglected, part of our shared history.


On the other side of the tracks lies the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. This museum chronicles another part of our shared history - segregation of America's Pastime. The history of the Negro Leagues and the history of racial discrimination are properly documented along side the rich history of these amazing baseball players. The story of how the Negro Leagues prospered and evolved the sport is well worth a trip. It is important to remember that only a few years ago this happened and was thought to be right and permanent. Now, we have a 13 year old black girl shutting out the Little League World Series! That is awesome.


Another hidden KC gem is The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. This massive museum has an extensive art collection, impressive architecture, and a crazy collection of outdoor shuttlecock sculptures! Admission is free for some bizarre reason. They have virtually all types of art under the roof from most historical periods. I was truly impressed by this place. Way to go KC!


Just around the corner from my apartment was the National Eagle Scout Award Memorial. That is just crazy coincidence. As an Eagle Scout, I had to take a picture for all to enjoy!


Back to the "K" for another baseball game. This time I got to see the Oakland Athletics be destroyed by the Royals. Yes, it was a rather depressing weekend for Bay Area baseball watching my boys be steamrolled by the Raging Royals. Fortunately, I got to see another great ballpark and enjoy my time in Kansas City. Please enjoy the rest of my pictures below.
























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