September 17, 2016 – Sun, 80 degrees

Miles Today: 28

Miles to Date: 16,404

States to Date: 45

Everything’s up to date in Kansas City

They gone about as fer as they can go

– Oscar Hammerstein

My first time ever in Kansas City: a striking, friendly place that’s really a collection of places. If Saint Louis is the last Eastern city in our country, Kansas City is the first Western metropolis. It doesn’t have a single core from which things sprawl. Rather, Kansas City includes multiple nodes of development strung together by wide boulevards and residential areas. I had a gorgeous day to explore the new place.

The city is famous for its fountains.

I like the stately 8-plax apartments with big porches that were built in the 1920’s.

Snazzy KU Medical Center sits right off State Line Road. Within a few blocks the grade descends to the Kansas River and I was in an entirely different place. Kansas City KS is Hispanic and poor. Further west thin men trembled outside of by-the-week motels and buxom women in tight skirts offered to sell what I’m not buying. Eventually State Avenue becomes just another strip of bog box stores and franchises.

My host is an ardent dog lover. We watched Benji, an awful, saccharine 70’s movie that turned funny when Craig’s dogs barked at the ones on the screen. Afterward we went to Quik Trip for dessert smoothies. We sat outside on a warm night under the full moon and watched people buy pop and fill up their pick-ups. Saturday night. Welcome to Kansas.