MEA (Minnesota Educator's Weekend) is HISTORICALLY a four day weekend on which teacher's attend conferences for two "work days", then have the weekend to attend additional conferences, or stay home. In recent years, MEA has become a four day weekend on which everyone travels.
In Minnesota, it's the BUSIEST travel weekend, next to Christmas. Consequently, people who fly "standby", and who INTEND to get to London or Paris or California end up closer to home, visiting places not many people want to go...which is why we ended up in Kansas City. I'm TOTALLY not trashing K.C., because I actually find it to be a DELIGHTFUL place, with lots of cool stuff to do (even though, this trip, it was cloudy and dreary, and cold the entire time we were there...).
We were planning on London up until Wednesday morning, and I spent several HOURS trying to find accommodations near Victoria Station (and found an AWESOME B & B, for a very good price!), when Duane informed me that SIX additional, "real" (non-"standby") people had just booked, and there was no way we'd get back (I'm STILL mystified WHY we can GET to these cool places, but can't get BACK...to MINNESOTA...WHO would come here??!!).
Anyway, we then tried to get to St. Louis, but that flight filled up DAY OF travel, so Kansas City was about the ONLY place in the WORLD that we could actually get to, AND get back.
AGAIN...not to "bad mouth" Kansas City, because we had a GREAT time (as we always do when we travel). It's just that it's a TOTAL mind warp to be thinking "what do I need to pack for London??!!", and then ending up on a one hour flight to Missouri...
Standby travel BITCHING aside, we had a LOVELY time! We got to town on Thursday, in the early afternoon, and headed to Country Club Plaza to have "burnt ends" (bbq) at Jack Stack BBQ. After getting our fill of ribs and baked beans (and coleslaw and corn pudding), we headed downtown to look around City Market (SO not busy on a Thursday afternoon, and not much was actually OPEN!!!), and to explore the four story antique mall that we found on our LAST MEA weekend trip to K.C., two years ago.
After the antique mall, we looked at a restaurant supply store we found last time, then hit a seed and spice store that we ALSO found last time.
We then headed to our hotel (the Holiday Inn Express), and walked to a shopping center nearby to explore their Half-Price book store. They were playing an AWFUL Hillbilly girl country/western singer (I have no idea who she was, but, when they finally switched CD's, Duane and I clapped, causing several people to laugh...out loud...!), but we managed to survive the experience...
When we were finished at the bookstore, we headed to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. I LOVE the Nelson-Atkins. The architecture alone is worth the visit, and they have some GORGEOUS European and early American paintings, as well as sculpture, stained glass, and fine china.
We looked around for a couple of hours, then headed to a grocery store nearby to pick up a few things for "snacking" (I got Chicken in a Biscuit crackers, cheddar bacon "spray cheese" and Chardonnay...how CLASSY am I??!!). We went back to the hotel, watched a little bit of Wanda Sykes (how FUNNY is she??!!) on HBO, then went to bed.
Friday, we got up, and got directions to the nearest Waffle House (in Overland Park, Kansas). I LOVE WAFFLE HOUSE! We had a DELIGHTFUL breakfast (the bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich with "scattered and smothered" hash browns, and a sweet tea), then went to a mall in Overland Park.
The mall was...a mall...nothing special, and the only things I bought were a clarinet Christmas ornament (for Abigail), and a saxophone ornament (for Duane's and my tree). After the mall, we went to Loose Park to see the fall leaves (since we aren't going to have any color this year, due to snow and freezing temperatures), walk through the wilting rose garden, and get some exercise.
We then headed to the World War I monument. What a COOL place!! The monument is a tall concrete tower that can be seen from most parts of the city, and, at the base, is a REALLY well constructed museum, chronicling the war, and all that it was. Interactive, big, really well done.
the monument from the parking lot
Kansas City, as seen from the monument
part of the "frieze" on the wall in front of the memorial
After touring the various other buildings at the memorial, we headed down the hill to the train station (now a museum, restaurant, exhibition space, and post office). We spent a little time looking around, hit the gift shop, debated going to the chocolate exhibit (at which the lady behind the ticket counter talked us out of doing...NOT the best "tour guide representative" K.C. has to offer), TRIED to find the Warhol exhibit (not very hard though...neither of us are big Warhol fans...) then we headed to "Pot Pie", a cool little neighborhood restaurant near the hotel. We were TEMPTED to actually GET the pot pie, but ended up having the pan seared chicken and mashed potatoes...very good, and the restaurant was VERY fun!
We found a World Market after leaving the museum, so were able to stock up on stuff we are no longer able to get in the twin cities, since they CLOSED all of our stores...then went back to the hotel to find a parking place (the hotel shares a parking lot with a VERY popular burger joint, and it's not unusual to drive around for a half an hour before getting a spot).
The "vehicle" for the Westport Flea Market and Bar and Grill
It was a LONG night, as there were LOTS of noisy people in the rooms around and above us, and a bar SOMEWHERE in the vicinity had LOUD music piped OUTSIDE until about 2:00 in the morning...ugh!
Because of last night, and our HORRIBLE stay at the Holiday Inn in Des Moines a few weeks ago (maybe it's just Holiday Inn's that are bad??!!), I've come up with "Jeff's THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND When You Stay at a Hotel"...
1. NEVER talk in any common space...be it HALLWAY, outside the ELEVATORS, by the ICE MACHINE, or anywhere else people MIGHT be...because THEY ARE, and they DO NOT care what you have to say...ESPECIALLY when it's 2:00 in the FREAKING morning. From the time you enter the hotel, to the time you QUIETLY close the door to your room...SHUT THE HELL UP!!!
2. Leash and vocally restrain your children. They are LOUD (!), and they WILL "make a break for it"...given the opportunity!!!
3. Keep the television (and sexcapades!) down when you get to your room. The walls are THINNER than you think, and we DO NOT CARE TO HEAR WHAT YOU ARE DOING!!!!
4. Don't wear clogs, or cowboy boots, or military boots, or skis (or WHATEVER the hell it is you are wearing) in the room above other people when you are walking around! SERIOUSLY, did you bring your pet elephant on the trip with you? CRIMINY!!!!
5. STAY HOME! You certainly aren't making OUR stay a restful one!!!!
Okay...done with the snarky...for now...
Today, we got up, checked out of the hotel, maneuvered our way around the Kansas City Marathon, ate at ANOTHER Waffle House (near the airport), and actually made it in time to get on an earlier flight (we even got FIRST CLASS seats!), and are now back in the cities, where we have the rest of today and tomorrow to BE LAZY, and get ready for the coming work week.
It should be an interesting week...I have a sore throat AND a headache...we'll see where THAT goes...
Hope YOUR weekend is progressing nicely, by this point, and that YOU are/were able to do something interesting!!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment