Kansas City...

Cowtown, BBQ Central...


The good:There are a lot of amazing things about Kansas City that I will miss a great deal once we leave (which will be in 10 days by the way). 
The food! Kansas City is known for its BBQ, but it goes so much farther than that.  There are awesome steak houses, cute bistros, tons of ethnic foods.  There are so many food options in this city that it is often hard to convince yourself to eat at home. There are so many options that even even my fussy-face fiance has started branching out.
The Irish! There are lots of opportunities to get your fill of Irish music, beer, and culture in this midwestern hub. Ryan and I have regularly attended Irish Fest both at Crown Center and farther north in Weston. This will be the first year we won’t make it to either of them. Not to mention great little pubs like O’Dowds on the Plaza and O’Malley’s in Weston. And of course our favorite Irish musicians Eddie Delahunt and Bob Reeder. So many of my favorite memories have been accompanied by their music.
Trees! One of my favorite things about Kansas City is the way it incorporates trees.  No matter where you are in the city, you can see some type of greenery. That was one of the major reasons why we left Buffalo.  That city was overwhelmingly grey and dreary.  I love the blend of high rises, highways, and trees.  It makes the city prettier and more welcoming. The skyline coming into the city from the west is especially beautiful because of the treeline in the foreground.

The bad: There are also some things I could do without..
Most notably, the Heat! I am a northern girl through and through and after 4 years in KC the summers are no easier to bear.  I just can’t handle 3 digit temperatures. I know that everywhere has air conditioning but I die in the 3 feet between the car and the building.  Not to mention that while air conditioning is very cooling it is also dries everything out, and makes buildings stuffy.  I like throwing open the windows at night and feeling the breeze and waking up to a fresh room.

The ugly: all cities have them, the ugly under layers that they try to keep secret...
Kansas City tries its best to be a progressive, liberal, culturally diverse metro, and in a lot of ways it does succeed.  Unfortunately, it remains smack dab in the middle of the Midwest. My intention is not to offend conservatives. I value opinions that differ from my own, but in the midwest even the “liberals” are conservative and sometimes the conservatives take things a little too far. I am looking forward to getting back to the east coast where there are a few more people that share the values I took for granted growing up. So, I suppose I should thank the midwest for giving me a better appreciation of the values I was raised with.