May 21, 2018

A Weekend in Kansas City

What a weekend!

I am at the Kansas City airport right now, waiting to catch my flight back to Detroit. Bonnie's flight was a couple of hours earlier than mine, so I have some time to kill.

Caitlin (from Boston), and Bonnie (from Virginia) met me in Kansas City to stay the weekend at Andrea's house. I met Caitlin and Bonnie when I invited them to join my Ragnar SoCal team in 2014. Andrea was on my From Fat to Finish Line team in 2013.

They came to my house for a girls weekend in 2016, and Andrea invited us to her house this year. Andrea's kids were on vacation, and her husband was on a work trip; so, she had the house to herself, and it was a good time for visitors.

It was my first time in Kansas City, and it was great! I didn't know much about KC, but whenever I have looked up fun travel destinations in the U.S., it is usually in the top 10. Also, the kids and I have been watching Switched at Birth lately, which is "set" in KC (but filmed in California, from what I understand, so it's not actually Kansas City--they just call it that on the show)--so my kids thought it was pretty cool that I was going there!

I arrived on Friday morning, and Caitlin and Bonnie arrived at the same time--so Andrea picked all three of us up at the airport. Then we went to Andrea's house and dropped off our bags. Her house is in Kansas, and I can't even tell you how many times we crossed the Kansas/Missouri border over they weekend! It's so odd to be so close to the state line that you cross it that frequently.

On Friday, I was excited to try Kansas City barbecue--that was the one request that I had while we were there. I'm not a huge barbecue person, but whenever I told someone that I was going to Kansas City, they told me that I have to try the barbecue! And in the opinion of several people on Instagram, Joe's was the place to go.


It wasn't at all what I was expecting (I was picturing a full service restaurant, likely expensive...) but it was so much better! It was very busy, but the food was cheap and tasted AMAZING. Andrea and I each got a sandwich to share (the brisket and the pulled pork). I liked them both, but I actually like the brisket better (which surprises me, because I don't normally eat much beef).

I didn't get a picture of our food--the place was crowded and fast-paced--but it was delicious ;)

After that, we were planning on going to a drive-in theater to see The Sandlot. I was SO excited when we saw on the website that it was showing! One of my 40 things to do by the time I'm 40 years old is to go to a drive-in theater, and the fact that it was showing The Sandlot made it even better.

We were super bummed, then, when we got there and discovered that's what they'd played the night before. On Friday, they were playing Show Dogs. We didn't really know what that was, but a quick Google search told us that we shouldn't stay, haha. So, I didn't get to cross that item off my list this weekend, but I have lots of time for that one.

On Saturday, we went to the farmer's market and to some fun little shops (including thrift and antique shops!). For lunch, we went to a little place that sells tons of different kinds of crêpes. While I LOVE crêpes, I wasn't at all hungry for lunch, so I didn't get one (I know, crazy, right?! But I'm really trying to listen to my body and eat when I'm hungry). Andrea and Caitlin got dessert ones, and they looked amazing! (Andrea let me try hers--and it tasted as good as it looked).


On the way back, Andrea took us through Mission Hills, a very ritzy neighborhood that is referred to often on Switched at Birth. It's where some of the main characters live. I was mesmerized by the houses--they were enormous and super impressive. I mostly wanted to just tell my kids that I was in Mission Hills, though ;)


On Saturday night, we had reservations to do an "Escape Room" challenge. I've been wanting to try one of these for a couple of years, but never really had the opportunity--the other girls thought it would be fun, so we booked a private room at Escape Room Kansas City.


When Andrea booked it, she said the only one left was their most challenging room. I was pretty nervous about it, because I had no idea what to expect. And when the person working there told us that it only has a 5% success rate, I thought we might as well quit before we started! But Andrea took that as a challenge, and was determined that we'd do it ;)

I don't want to write to much, so I don't spoil it for others, but it was SO MUCH FUN. I had a blast, and I want to do so many more Escape Room challenges now! We kicked ass, and we actually ended up completing it. We only had ONE SECOND left on the clock when we were done!


Such a weird picture, but it was fun to do. The room was sideways and we were upright, so you just rotate the photo. I was standing up on the right side of the room, so when it's rotated, it looks like the floor.

It was such a huge adrenaline rush, and the hour was up so quickly. It reminded me a lot of a game that I used to play on my phone, and I think the game actually helped me to understand more about how it all worked. Anyway, we were all feeling fantastic after that. Finishing was awesome, but with just one second to go made it even better.


The state of my hair shows just how stressful the whole experience was, haha.

On Sunday, we actually took a road trip to Nebraska and Iowa. I had been planning to rent a car before going to the airport on Monday (today) and driving myself up there to cross those states off of my list, but the other girls thought a short road trip sounded fun. So, we all went up to Nebraska for lunch!

We went to a little local Mexican restaurant, and our waiter was (unintentionally) hilarious. Andrea asked how big a medium sized side of guacamole is, wondering if it was big enough for us to share as an appetizer. She asked, "Is the medium size big?" and held out her hands to gesture what a "big" size meant. We thought he'd tell us that it was enough for us to share, or for two people, or to at least show us with his hands how big it is. Instead, he said, "No--a medium is medium!" like we were crazy for asking such a stupid question. We were cracking up when he left the table.

That evening, we had reservations at a comedy club to see Josh Blue. I had never heard of him, but Andrea said that she really liked his comedy. I love comedy shows, so I was excited to go.


The opening comedians were fantastic, and Josh Blue was hysterical. He has Cerebral Palsy, and he refers to it often in his jokes. I don't know much about Cerebral Palsy, and watching his show actually made me really interested in learning more about it.

Today, we had a really laid back morning at Andrea's before heading to the airport. It was a fun and very busy weekend, and I'm so glad that we did it. We talked about doing it again next year at Bonnie's house.

Now, I'm excited to get home to Jerry, the kids, and the pets. Andrea has two (very funny) dogs, and it made me miss Joey. I'm sure my weigh-in isn't going to be pretty on Wednesday, but we definitely had our share of good food (and fun) in KC!


12 comments:

  1. What a fun trip! I've never been to Kansas City, so this was interesting to read about. Glad you had a good time--that crepe looks AH-MAZING!! (I would NOT have been able to resist it, ha ha!)

    ReplyDelete
  2. KC is on my list of places to visit too! Thanks for the recommendations:)

    ReplyDelete
  3. My aunt and uncle live in Kansas City (I live in Denver) and that is my favorite bbq, hands down!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I'm OBSESSED with Escape rooms, so I'm very curious to hear what game you were reminded of that you played on your phone!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was a LONG time ago that I played the escape games on my phone, and I recently downloaded it again. It's not as great as I remember! (But then again, I downloaded the newest game--maybe if you try the first 2-3 they will be better). It's called Can You Escape by Kaarel Kirsipuu.

      Delete
  5. You could cross the drive-in movie off your list when you visit your sister if you don't mind a 45 minute drive each way. This theater always has a double feature. It is fun! http://www.cascadedrivein.com/

    ReplyDelete
  6. So glad you got to experience great bbq in KC. I love living here - there's always something fun to see or experience. Thanks for telling us about your trip!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Glad you guys had a fun trip! I can just hear Bonnie's accent as background dialog reading about all of your adventures :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. we saw Josh Blue
    on the tv show
    Last Comic Standing
    he won!

    ReplyDelete
  9. LOVE Switched at Birth! just a random show I decided to start watching a few years back and got hooked! I finished it last year, when you're done you MUST go back and watch the pilot. It's so crazy to see all the characters and how different they are!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Looks like you had a blast in KC! I'm not a fan of BBQ either, but have been told by many a person, that good ol' KC BBQ will convert me! One day I will make the trip. Too bad you missed out on seeing The Sandlot on a Drive-In screen. "You're killing me Smalls"....such a classic flick.
    https://bit.ly/2sbNq4X

    ReplyDelete
  11. I grew up in Kansas City, Kansas. The boulevard drive in movie theatre was 1 mile from my childhood home. I'm a huge SAB fan too. Regina and Daphne lived in Riverside. Riverside in on the Kansas City Missouri side. It's funny cause the way the portray that City... It's spot on! Mission Hills, ks is more of a richer city... again spot on! The show often mentions "World of fun"... Soo Amazing! It's actually called "World's of fun" and its right next to "Ocean's of fun". If you ever visit in the summertime, I suggest you go to both parks! I really love my hometown but I now live in Texas. Here's where I belong! Enjoy y'all's trips to KC!

    ReplyDelete

I used to publish ALL comments (even the mean ones) but I recently chose not to publish those. I always welcome constructive comments/criticism, but there is no need for unnecessary rudeness/hate. But please--I love reading what you have to say! (This comment form is super finicky, so I apologize if you're unable to comment)

Featured Posts

Blog Archive