Lawrence, KS - August 2014

Lawrence is a small city in Kansas near Kansas City, MO home to the University of Kansas. Most museums are closed on Monday, so it was a perfect day to take a short drive into Kansas to see Lawrence and the university. The place is known for their college basketball. The city is also a great side trip from KC with a great combination of college town and small town feel.

The university is a classic land grant institution with great architecture and history. The large university is rather hilly with several bluffs overlooking the city and surrounding university. Many graduates live in KC and the surrounding area with proud Jayhawks showing off their college roots.

Downtown Lawrence has Massachusetts Street which is their main street with lots of shops, restaurants, and bars. Even on a Monday during summer break, the town was bustling with life. One gets the sense that a lot of people drive her just to walk around and enjoy a short day trip from larger cities nearby. The small town feel is very nice and reminds me of my college town in Flagstaff, AZ - only a lot warmer and much more humid!

Lawrence also has competing burger joints like any good college town. I chose the Burger Stand. This rather eclectic restaurant serves a solid burger and excellent fries. For lunch, I chose the Smoke Burger with applewood smoked bacon, smoked gouda, and chipotle ketchup. Get it? Smoke. They serve several types of french fries, but I chose the duck fat fries which were very good until the fat congeals at the bottom of the basket. Eat them fast with the parmesan garlic aioli! It was also $2 Free State Brewing pint day and early enough to walk off the buzz before heading back to KC.

I understand why a lot of students choose KU. With a rich sports scene and a vibrant small town atmosphere, this place is pretty cool. Please enjoy the rest of my pictures below.

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.

Kansas City BBQ - August 2014

Welcome to Kansas City, MO! KC is known for many things, but barbecue is tops on my list. Or is it bar-b-q? Maybe barbeque? BBQ? However you spell it, Kansas City has some excellent options. I am a huge fan of pork ribs, and I went to three places known for their pork spare ribs and sauces. It seems like everyone orders either the long or short end with fries to the point of just ordering a "long with fry" for your meal. The long end of the rack is the end with longer bones - more meat and less fat. The short end has more fat and is richer with shorter bones. I prefer the long end which helps since it is usually cheaper. There are many other smoked animal options, but ribs are my all-time favorite.

The least best was Oklahoma Joe's BBQ in Kansas. Fun fact: Kansas City, MO is right on the border with Kansas with State Line Rd splitting the city into the Kansas and Missouri parts of the Metropolitan area. Crossing the street puts you in another state which was beneficial back when bars were illegal in Kansas - like 1986! Back to the ribs. They were very meaty and did not fall off the bone, although they were very tender. The smoke was great, but the rub was way too salty and overpowering. The fries were well cooked, but also too salty with a Lawry's Seasoning Salt topping. The sauce was good, but not spectacular.

Their original facility is still located in a real gas station, but the BBQ has taken over the inside and lots of tourists stand in a very long line for a very long time for overrated meat. Most of these places have long lines and poor eating facilities, so calling in an order for takeout is highly recommended. It also saves a tip and drinks. If this was the only option in town, you would be thankful, but there are just too many other places with better ribs!

Also pictured is the 80-Acre Hoppy Wheat Beer from Boulevard Brewing. This local craft brewery married a hefeweizen and IPA to make a wonderfully unique beer. This style should be on everyone's radar and copied coast-to-coast. The combination works much better than you think.

Fiorella's Jack Stack Barbecue is just awesome. This local institution serves authentic barbecue in a nice upscale restaurant perfect to impress clients or a special someone. The ribs are perfect with intense smoke, fall off the ribs tender and juicy, and paired with a great KC-style sauce. The beans are a work of art, cooked below the meats to catch all the drippings and served with chunks of meat - more of a stew than traditional beans, but amazingly good! The fries were not good. They were bland and not worthy of the plate. Choose anything else but the fries. Also pictured were lamb ribs. Who serves lamb ribs?!?! They do, and they are awesome. Great smoky lamb flavor and tender deliciousness. Jack Stack also serves nearly every other part of several animals, and I'm sure they are also good.

My favorite of the three was Q39. I want this place to move to Sacramento. These guys are simply amazing. The restaurant is still somewhat under the radar for visitors, but I searched and found the best. This is another upscale place, but the ribs are just amazing. If any place could give Pappy's Smokehouse a run for its money, these guys can do it. The ribs are perfect and glazed with a honey BBQ sauce that makes you want to keep licking your fingers until you hit bone! They serve a small army with takeout, and the fries are the best of the bunch. This place was packed with locals and is quickly becoming a spot. It is even on the way to Oklahoma Joe's, but is MUCH better in my opinion! They have only been open since April 2014, but this place will be on future travel guides. Absolutely amazing!

If you love BBQ, go to Kansas City. Go to St. Louis too. See some baseball in the Summer while you are in Missouri. Return home and be forever spoiled by real BBQ. Dream of those ribs.