Taking A Breather: A Quick Trip To Kansas City
Y'all, two weeks ago for 62 hours and some change, we were kid free. Did you read what I just said!? Kid FREE for 2 and half days!! Now look I shouldn't have to explain to you that I love my chirren, but for the ones in the back who only hear what they want to hear, I do. I just need a break from time to time, to recharge so I'm not constantly on edge.
It wasn't some private getaway in a luxe hotel or an airbnb off the beaten path. But what it was was a casino/spa hotel that was hosting a conference where the hubs was in attendance.
The outside doesn't look like much but our rooms were nice, especially the dual shower head with the rainwater action.
While we didn't spend the entire time together because duh, he was working. We were able to have dinner the first night on our own, sometime after his first conference day and then a few unexpected hours after our flight home was canceled due to weather. In between those times, I hit the gym a couple times, a local cafe to write, and a Thai spot for takeout that was on point.
This vegan chocolate ganache cake/pie was soooooo good! I savored that last bite!
I'll admit I didn't think much of Kansas City, MO not Kansas. I had equated it to my hometown of Natchez, MS. The history is rich and site to see from all the hundreds years old trees, historic homes and buildings, and the might Mississippi itself but there's not much else. The lack of decent paying jobs has definitely left the city worse for wear. But KC more than surprised me, it left me stunned. I mean I shouldn't have been considering they do have a major sports franchise but when we I hear anything Kansas, my mind immoderately equates it to country. I know...judge away.
Anywho, between the sprawling homes that dotted the hills along the highway which were soooo green and hilly, the quaint restaurants and shops and the row homes near downtown, I was itching to explore more of this not so little city.
Spotted this tree while on our walk after dinner our first night. The leaves are just so pretty!
The trees that lined this street were so majestic!
A true treehouse
Not sure what building this was but it reminded me of the Sidney Opera House
While our time was short, I was glad that we made the most of it on our last day after our original flights were canceled. My husband being who is, quickly found an activity for us to do after we hashed out our flight options over breakfast. We appreciate art in all forms so we took a lyft over to the Nelson Atkins museum for some visual artistry.
One view from their 22 acre garden
Yes, that is a rather large badminton dart. There were a few around.
Y'all when you first pull up to this building, you don’t realize how big it is until you’re standing outside in front of the stairs in the garden. As you peer up the columns, all we could think about is how much did this cost to build and the electricity bill must be insane! Its huge but absolutely gorgeous inside and out. ANNNNND it's FREE! The donor support is incredibly strong from everyday citizens as well as the Bloch foundation (the owners of H&R Block) and the Hall Family Foundation (Hallmark, heard of them?) just to name a few. It made my heart smile that if parents could just get their children to the museum, cost will not be a deterrent to expanding their worldview.
One of the descriptions for this statue was "royal calm". Mkay.
Sketched drawings with the most minute details
Each square is depicts multiple stories in the bible at a given time
We took in as much of the museum as we could in the time allowed but decided to step outside for another view before we had to head out. While out front, we spotted a series of bikes used for short term rentals. Giddy as a school girl would not be enough to describe how excited I was to ride a bike. The last time I had been on one was our anniversary a couple of years ago and it had been even longer before that! It had actually been about 6 or 7 years. That was prekid status and living in our rinky dink apartment that was within walking distance of the mountain biking trails in Memorial Park in Houston.
This dude...
For $3, we had 30 minutes to explore the neighborhood around the museum. Let me just say, Kansas City’s topography is the exact opposite of Houston! My legs definitely worked to get me up the inclines of the few hills we encountered. But I fared better than my husband, so that’s all that really matters. Ha!
Statues right outside of the museum near the bike rentals
A statue in front of a nearby museum.
Our time was short in this city that I totally judged but was glad to have been totally wrong about because I have to say that I would actually come back. Well take that back there is still some judgement. That airport is one step away from having you board all planes on the damn tarmac! Literally what separates security from your terminal is a half glass half solid wall. The airport goes in a somewhat straight line. If you peer through the glass portion, you can see your terminal is a few steps away. *cue real slow blink* Other than that, it's definitely worth coming back and bringing my mom along too. I really think she would enjoy it.
While it's been a minute since the hubs and I haven’t traveled beyond our borders, I’m still grateful to experience the sights in our own backyard. As parent, these moments are so needed to not only recharge but to reconnect with your spouse. Hopefully, you’ll get out and do the same.