Since it had been years since we'd stopped in Kansas City on our way to our annual beach vacation on the Florida Panhandle, we wanted to stop for two nights to explore the city's fun spots. The first was the city's Parkville Nature Sanctuary where our first view was of its Butterfly Garden before then hiking on the Waterfall Trail.
The memorial honored the hundreds of the city's residents who were killed or are missing and still unaccounted for and "bring us all together in tribute to their dedication and bravery." How terribly sad the pools were filled with algae.
Even though it was pretty darned hot out that day, walking on the mostly tree-covered trail was delightful and cool.
Steven in the sanctuary's Parkville Jail!
From the sanctuary we headed to the Children's Fountain in downtown KC. The plaque said "Let these splashing waters eternally refresh the commitment of a citizenry dedicated to maintaining a community and to working toward a world where children may play."
The bronze figures represented children everywhere and the activities that shape young lives making childhood a joy.
Each sculpture, Joy, Meeting Challenges, Ballerina, Soccer Player, Handstand Boy, and Girl Wading, was created by a different sculptor and were gifts from KC banks, foundations and/or individuals.
Steven and I are always big fans of markets so wandering around the Historic City Market was a big draw for us.
This little car made me think of our dear daughter-in-law, Cory, who works for Uber in San Francisco.
What woman wouldn't smile seeing this sign?!
While driving around the city, we kept seeing historical markers for Lewis & Clark's Expedition. This was the most colorful one.
Kansas City’s Union Station is the second-largest working train station in the country. Railway use peaked during World War I, with Union Station witnessing the arrivals and departures of more than 79,000 trains.
As only a few Amtrak trains pass through daily, the station now offers live theater, a model train museum, a planetarium and several restaurants to draw residents and tourists alike to the great historical venue.
Photos in the station were a salute to the station's centennial.
The cool cavernous hall seemed to have become a perfect place for downtown workers to walk laps on their lunch breaks. I was glad to hear that Kansas Citians voted to keep this fully-restored 1914 landmark instead of tearing it down as many other cities have done.
The station's 1880s Lamp Post Clock was a fixture in downtown Kansas City until 1936 before it was moved to Union Station where, for nearly 50 years, it greeted guests.
It was such a hot day even I was sorely tempted to jump in the fountain at Crown Center Square!
Too bad Legoland in the square didn't exist when we last spent a day in the city when our four children were young as they would have loved it.
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Park and Fountain was our next stop. As water, like time, has the power to cleanse and heal, the fountain was a symbol of that healing from the devastating division caused by the Vietnam War. As Americans took distinct and differing stands on the war, the thousands of Kansas City men and women who served in Vietnam were caught in the middle.
Frequent readers of the blog know how much Steven and I enjoy visiting art museums when we travel. When we last visited Kansas City umpteen years ago, somehow we missed stopping at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art so we made a beeline for it after the memorial. We had no idea that we were going to be in for such a treat at the 'comprehensive art museum' which meant it had collections spanning many millennia and from all corners of the world. I have tried several times to include the photos and text from our visit in this post but each time the photos went in flush left rather than in the center so I will just leave them for the next post.
After our great time at the museum, we walked over to the J. C. Nichols Memorial Fountain, the best-known and most-photographed of all of the city’s fountains. Located at the entrance to the popular Country Club Plaza district, the fountain had four heroic horsemen, said to represent four mighty rivers of the world: the Mississippi River (fending off an alligator), the Volga River (with the bear), the Seine and the Rhine.
While relaxing at yet another lovely fountain, we were serenaded by a group of orange-clad Hare Krishnas, some of whom also danced while chanting.
A member of the group made a point of offering religious cards to people entering the park.
Next post: An almost equally fun time both inside and outside at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.
Posted on July 25th, 2019, from our home in Littleton, Colorado.
KC Union station looks a lot like the Denver one. Janina
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