Thought #1 Staycation in Kansas City
I know I am starting to sound like a travel blog with all my posts about Kansas City. This is, however, where I currently reside after moving hither and yon for the last forty years. Over the long Labor Day weekend we stayed in town and had a KC vacation.
Kansas City is known for a lot of different things. Usually out-of-towners bring up the barbecue (KC style not to be confused with Texas style). There is a history of jazz and blues which is still visible in the area of town around 18th and Vine. While New Orleans is considered the birthplace of jazz, it is said that it grew up in KC when in 1929 Count Basie signed on with Benie Moten's Kansas City Orchestra.
As one of the inhabitants of KC, I will tell you one of the prettiest areas of town is the area around the Country Club Plaza. This area was the first shopping center that was created to allow for people to come by automobile. JC Nichols started acquiring the land for the Plaza in 1907. The construction started in 1922 patterned after the architechture of Seville, Spain. The 55 acre Plaza houses retail stores, offices, apartments, condos, churches, entertainment venues and upper scale houses.
We decided to stay in town over the Labor Day weekend. As you know we went to the KC Zoo on Thursday and on Friday checked into the Raphael Hotel on the Country Club Plaza. (Note: Grandboys weren't invited on this part of the vacation)
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| Going in...later there was a string quartet set up here playing music. |
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| The Lobby |
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| There were flowers waiting for us in our suite. Very nice!!! |
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| Our room overlooked the Plaza |
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| Walking out of the hotel over to the shops/restaurants |
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| I just thought she was cute. |
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| The JC Nichols Fountain |
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| Leaving the fountain, heading for the restaurant |
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| Do you notice that I am usually lollygagging behind Mr. Longlegs |
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| McCormick and Schmicks restaurant |
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| This is the way up to the restaurant |
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| Heading back to the hotel |
Thought #2 Who said it wouldn't last?
Forty years ago on September 4th 1971, two teenagers decided to get married. Not spur of the moment or anything as they got engaged a year and a half before that. Still it took parents to sign papers as teens need permission to get married if you were under the age of twenty-one.
Yes, husband and I got engaged while he was in the Army and I was still in high school. A year and half later we got married. Two and a half years after that we could legally drink.
Happy 40th Anniversary to US!!!
The Good for the Day....Proved all the nay sayers wrong. We are still going strong.
The Bad for the Day...Husband's mom signed for us to get married but is no longer around to appreciate that we are still together.
The Weird for the Day....After we were married a couple of years and I was approaching 21...it was not so very far off.... but not there yet. We got kicked out of a bar. I wasn't even drinking as we were expecting our first baby, but still I got carded and ousted.
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23 comments:
Congratulations! 40 years with an early start is an amazing accomplishment you guys deserve a medal or something!
I love you trip photos. When I see your pictures and read your posts I know that a trip to KC is getting closer and closer in my future - so many wonderful sites! I especially like the pictures of the old hotel - it looks like a place I definitely want to stay!
Clicks!
--Trina
I love your pictures of KC. As Dorothy said "There's no place like (your) home"! That hotel is beautiful and the restaurant is STUNNING! Details, details, though. What did you guys eat?
Congratulations on your 40th!! That is such a wonderful accomplishment, especially considering how young you were at the time. Marriage is never easy, but you could easily have grown in very different directions.
Hi Cheryl,
That's so awesome - you and the hubby for forty years :) That's really good for today's day-and-age.
Super nice photos of Kansas City too. I enjoyed checking them out.
Have a great Tuesday!
Wolf
PS Way to go on the weird for the day ;)
Trina, if you ever get a chance to come to KC, I would love to have you stay in our guest room. I am serious, I would love a chance to talk at length with you. But if you are into historic old hotels, the Raphael is so beautiful.
I am sure that our parents and teachers thought we were going to ruin our lives but seemingly all has gone well.
We also, thought it was weird that at 20 husband was in the US Army, I was expecting a baby and we couldn't legally drink.
Thank you, Nicky. You are right that we could have grown in opposite directions. Luckily for us we kind of grew up together and had/have very similar ideas. The things that we differ on we are fine to agree to disagree.
We both started with a wedge salad and sourdough bread then I had the Chef's Choice for the evening which was called Haddock Manhattan. (McCormick and Schmidts is a seafood restaurant) It was a large portion of haddock with a wine butter sauce, garlic/herb mashed potatoes, roasted carrots and broccolini. For dessert we had something called The Famous Chocolate Bag which is a bag formed out of Dark Belgium chocolate, filled with white chocolate mouse and topped with strawberries, blueberries and whipped cream.
Happy belated anniversary young one. I hope you two had wild hotel nooky to celebrate.
Happy Belated Anniversary!!!! And here is to many many more! :-)
40 years-very cool! Enjoyed the photos and reading about KC.
Wow, no kidding Seville was the inspiration. Very pleasing to the eye!
Happy anniversary! What a wonderful story. I was 19 (almost 20) when Josh and I got married. 20 when Trinity was born, and 21 when Gabe arrived. I know a lot of people doubt whether Josh and I will last. Stories like this give me hope.
You got some beautiful pictures! Every post you write about Kansas City really makes me want to visit.
Cheryl, Happy Anniversary !!! You started out even younger than we did. Isn't having forty years of common history with someone you love just the best thing? Here is Your Present (hope the link works)
Happy anniversary!!!!! Looks like you had a great time. I love hoteling it, even if it's right down the street.
I still think it's weird, have to be 21 here. You can die for your country before that, but can't celebrate making it back alive with beer.
Oh, Michele..you cut right to the chase my friend. What happens in KC stays in KC, as they say.
Thank you, Junebug. We are shooting for 40 more but we realize that we will be in our 90's at that point and we are hoping we will still recognize each other.
Thanks, Tim. Kansas City has some really cool aspects as all cities do but they don't do a good job at marketing their tourism here.
The Plaza is so much prettier than pictures can project. The Spanish architecture and red tile roofs are really something to see.
Gosh, you and I are on the same time line...so close to us in timing. I was just a tad younger than you getting married but you were were a tad earlier having your first baby. I was 21 when our first arrived.
Your family is beautiful and I for one believe that some marriages are just meant to be. Those doubters can eat your dust when you celebrate your 50th anniversary.
I agree. Isn't if fun to be somewhere where you don't have to clean, you can run the air full tilt and not worry about being wasteful (or having an electric bill from hell) and eat meals that someone else is cooking. Yeah!!!
Thank you for the present! (I didn't realize you could attach files to comments..you are so clever) It is the best thing ever having years of shared history with someone you love. As I was reading your Maui posts I was thinking that about you and Muri also. Aren't we all so very fortunate?
So many really stupid laws. Good thing getting pregnant under 21 wasn't illegal. I might have been typing this in prison.
OMG. I want to try a Chocoate Bag!!!!!! Everything sounds delicious, but SERIOUSLY!? That dessert sounds phenomenal!
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