There’s a magnetism specific to the lush, sweeping southern Ozarks, where soft plateaus give way to the towering peaks of the Boston Mountain range. Here, the mountains don’t spike upward so much as roll forth, dotted by dogwoods and otherwise carpeted in an emerald veneer of shortleaf pine and proliferate kudzu. Limestone bluffs jut out… Continue reading Enjoy the ancient mountains of Northwest Arkansas during your weekend adventure
St. Louis is a river city that was and then wasn’t. Originally, it was a landing spot for French fur traders who settled on the banks of the Mississippi and settlers who started west on the Missouri. St. Louis’ location at the junction of the country’s most significant waterways is not merely a topographical feature… Continue reading St. Louis is only 3.5 hours from KC making it a great weekend destination
Here’s what you probably know about Omaha, Nebraska: There’s a big zoo. There are lots of cows. It’s about a three-hour drive from Kansas City. Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and aquarium is regarded as one of the best zoos in the world. Nebraska is the second-largest beef producer in America, coming in right behind Texas.… Continue reading Nebraska’s largest city not only has fantastic architecture and shopping, it’s also a hotbed of Midwestern food and drink
Wichita has had its distinctive city flag since 1937, but until recently, nobody really thought much about it. Then, everything changed. All of a sudden, the flag — featuring red and white rays flowing from a blue sun bearing a Native American symbol meaning “home”— was everywhere. Today, you can’t walk one brick-paved block in… Continue reading Wichita’s art, food, and spectacular new riverfront make it the perfect weekend getaway
The minute you walk into Minnesota Bait and Fly, you feel like you’ve stepped back in time. Inside the downtown Kansas City, Kansas, shop, you’re greeted by chirping crickets and the hum of the aerator pumping oxygen into the minnow tanks. A steady stream of customers waits to buy bait from refrigerators filled with worms… Continue reading A Tour of 5 Old School Bait Shops in Kansas City
On June 3, 1979, the Kemper Arena hosted a convention of America’s top architects. The group gathered inside the West Bottom’s sleek modernist arena, a structure it recognized as “one of the finest buildings in the nation.” One day later, it didn’t have a roof. It was an event that shocked the architecture world 40… Continue reading 40 Years ago, the collapse of one of Kansas City’s most iconic buildings shocked the architecture world
Casual spinoff from Corvino coming to the Crossroads Corvino Supper Club & Tasting Room is known for many delicious things, but chief among them is the cheeseburger, where two thin, diner-style chuck patties find rapture between a house-made sesame seed bun with perfect garlic aioli, charred onions, dill pickle slices and melty muenster cheese. The… Continue reading May 2019 KC restaurant openings and closings
kokoDAK It’s worth going to kokoDAK just to watch TV, where a music video channel plays hits that sound very much like anything you’d hear streaming out of your car radio driving down Metcalf Avenue, but the lyrics are sung in Korean. Allow yourself to be mesmerized by this entertainment while you patiently wait for… Continue reading 8 Favorite Overland Park Restaurants
Riddle me this: What spirit is derived from a succulent, distilled in Kansas City and goes great in margaritas? No, it’s not tequila — tequila must be produced in the Mexican state of Jalisco. But you’re close. Mean Mule Distilling is three years old but just now opened a tasting room (1733 Locust St., Kansas… Continue reading Mean Mule’s agave spirits come from plants harvested in the heart of tequila country
Chocolate Skyscaper I don’t know what the 32-layer cake at Silo Modern Farmhouse (17501 W. 87th St., Lenexa, Kan., 913-278-0910, silocanyonfarms.com) looks like before kitchen staff cut into it, but when this beast of a dessert arrived at our table, I feared for the human that had to do the slicing. The signature dessert at Lenexa’s… Continue reading The 32-layer chocolate cake at Silo is Kansas City’s most imposing dessert
In our May issue, we set out to try every highly recommended Mexican spot in Kansas City, Kansas. Along the way we had everything from amazing deshebrada tacos to Mexican-style barbecue and burgers. And yet, there’s so much else to try. You could spend the next year sampling Mexican restaurants in KCK and still have… Continue reading Edgar Galicia has eaten at pretty much every Mexican spot in KCK. Here are his favorite dishes.
There’s no point in asking about the best Mexican restaurant in Kansas City, Kansas. It’s an absurd question given the sheer size and diversity of the Mexican community, says Edgar Galicia of the city’s Central Avenue Betterment Association. (Read: Galicia’s picks for the best Mexican dishes in KCK are here.) “People here don’t have a… Continue reading Blazing a taco trail through KCK, home to the best Mexican food in the Midwest
Bill Geist is the funniest man in America, and now I know why. His latest book, Lake of the Ozarks: My Surreal Summers in a Vanishing America, is a nostalgic look back at summers spent working for his aunt and uncle at Missouri’s Arrowhead Lodge. It was the 1960s, and for a young man from… Continue reading Iconic Humorist Bill Geist’s new memoir returns to his formative years in the Missouri Ozarks
Watch- ►Homecoming: A Film By Beyoncé: Coachella seems pretty washed these days. But the millennial-driven music festival in the California desert still has its special moments, such as Beyoncé’s headlining appearance in 2018. This Netflix original documentary delves into everything about that 2018 set, a watershed moment in a career rich in both accomplishments and hits.… Continue reading New and fresh May 2019 Trends
Jolie “Money” Justus vs. Quinton “The Professor” Lucas Current gig: Justus: Councilwoman, lawyer, professor Lucas: Councilman, lawyer, professor Primary results: Justus: 23 percent of the vote out of 11 candidates Lucas: 18 percent — four points behind Justus and five points ahead of anyone else Primary night party: Justus: Tower Tavern, a midtown bar whereJustus holds weekly “office… Continue reading Kansas City mayor’s race is now a face-off between two sitting city council people, Quinton Lucas and Jolie Justus
Oouumphhh. There’s a grunt from the front of the jon boat as Jim Hoke’s treble hook finds the meaty flesh of a spoonbill swimming in the muddy depths of the Lake of the Ozarks. As his 150-pound braided fishing line zings down into the green water, Hoke suspects he’s successfully snagged one of the monstrous… Continue reading An ancient fish spurs a feud between good ol’ boys and caviar-mad Russians in the Missouri Ozarks
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Record Store Day was an immediate smash at Mills Record Company. In 2013, when the shop was still crammed into 1,000 square feet in Westport, the line formed hours before the doors opened. Inside, it was shoulder to shoulder. Things are less cramped at the store’s new 6,5000-square-foot space, but the crowds are no less… Continue reading How the pros do Record Store Day in Kansas City
There’s only one part of caking making Mike Napolitan of Angry Mike’s Custom Cakes doesn’t love: rolling out the fondant. The full-time web designer and part-time illustrator could spend all day drawing up sketches of cakes, baking their various parts and adding all the intricate decorations. But working up a sweat trying to get a… Continue reading A Piece of Cake
People across the Midwest know spring has arrived when the crocuses pop up, birds start chirping and baseball returns to the radio. In Kansas City, there’s an even surer sign: The fountains start flowing again. The City of Fountains has dozens of statuesque spurts across the metro area, and they’re scheduled to emerge from their… Continue reading When the fountains flow, you know it’s spring in Kansas City
A century is a long time in any business—doubly so in publishing. But that’s the milestone soon to be celebrated by The Call, the newspaper of record for Kansas City’s black community. The first edition of The Call rolled off the presses on May 6, 1919. Those presses were run by founder and longtime publisher… Continue reading KC is home to one of the oldest and most respected black newspapers in America
Remember Choreographed Racism? The February issue of 435 featured a story about Camille Sturdivant, a black student at Blue Valley Northwest High School, who came forward to file a lawsuit alleging extensive racial discrimination while on the school’s dance team. Among the unsettling details were an exchange in which the dance team’s choreographer told Sturdivant… Continue reading What readers are saying about the Blue Valley Northwest racism scandal
You never want to see your car on the TV news, especially if it’s wrapped in police tape. But that’s exactly the situation I found myself in one icy late February morning. I was driving west on Ward Parkway when I hit a sheet of ice and started fishtailing. My tires wouldn’t catch — I… Continue reading How rolling my truck on an icy road made me love Kansas City even more
Cliff Drive is the shortest scenic byway in the United States. The 4.5-mile road that runs east of downtown Kansas City was originally built by a settler named Nathan Scarritt as a driveway of sorts. Today, it’s beloved by runners and cyclists for its car-free weekends. The 35-foot cliffs along Cliff Drive are also the… Continue reading This secret climbing cliff is hidden right by downtown KC
Ibex Climbing Gym Kansas City’s original plastic crag. Despite changing hands several times, this suburban destination continues to thrive. Great route setting and a large overhung arch are the highlights. There’s also an active annual competition scene. Scene: Birthday parties, scout groups, the diehard Regulars known as: Ibexercisers 801 N.W. South Outer Rd., Blue Springs,… Continue reading An expert’s guide to indoor rock climbing gyms of Kansas City
The Katy Trail is a big ride. Built on the bones of the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad, this dedicated bike trail is 240 miles long and nearly spans the state of Missouri. There are no bad places to ride the Katy Trail, but for Kansas Citians who don’t have a full week to ride the entire route,… Continue reading The Katy Trail’s perfect weekend route for riders coming from Kansas City
Brookside Poultry Company Upon being seated t Brookside Poultry Company, the first thing you’ll want to do is inquire about a whole chicken or duck. Everything inside this sparsely decorated and very casual bird house is good, but the spit-roasted, three-day-marinated fowl ($17–$32) is the most coveted prize. The whole birds routinely sell out as… Continue reading Our 6 favorite places to eat in Kansas City’s Brookside neighborhood
Mary Esselman had big shoes to fill when she took over the reins at Operation Breakthrough. For almost 50 years, the organization has offered educational support to Kansas City schoolchildren. Inside its 131,000-square-foot campus, a dedicated team of staffers works with more than 500 students, most living below the poverty line. Since taking over as… Continue reading Meet the woman who runs Operation Breakthrough
Kansas City is a wonderful place to explore by bike — it’s full of unique neighborhoods, street art and interesting architecture, and with the city changing so much, you’re always going to notice something new. Luckily, the city also has hundreds of miles of paved bike trails spanning the metro area and crisscrossing the Missouri-Kansas… Continue reading Four must-ride bike trails around Kansas City
In 2000, Bill Poindexter weighed 400 pounds. As part of his plan to lose weight, Poindexter started walking or riding his bike wherever he could. He ended up enjoying it so much that he eventually sold his car and committed to getting around Kansas City entirely under his own power. Today, Poindexter is a trim… Continue reading Living car-free in Kansas City? This man has done it for a decade
“Most of them—they only have us,” says Ashley Crawley, her voice shaking a little as she describes her clients, adults with developmental disabilities. Crawley is a Direct Support Professional, or DSP, who cares for three people living in a group home operated by Life Unlimited, a nonprofit contracted by the state of Missouri. Crawley makes… Continue reading Missouri group home staffers make less than McDonalds workers– that’s creating a crisis
