"With our Kansas City baby and our bottle of Kansas City wine
We might take a train we might take a plane
But if I have to walk I'm gonna get there just the same
We're goin' to Kansas City, Kansas City here we come" -- Wilbert Harrison
1. You have had to explain way too many times to people that KC is in both Missouri and Kansas.
No, the Chiefs and Royals do not play in Kansas. No, we do not live in Kansas. Kansas City, Missouri was established before Kansas was even a state.
2. You're tired of the Wizard of Oz jokes.
When you travel to other cities and tell people you're from Kansas City, you instantly get hit with the "You're not in Kansas anymore, Dorothy." Yeah, your right. I was never in Kansas, I'm from Kansas City, Missouri.
3. When you're in other cities, you suddenly become a barbecue critic.
The waiter tells you about their barbecue and you respond with "Well, I'm from Kansas City, so..."
4. Sunday might as well be off limits for everyday life.
Football Season Sundays, aka Wear Red, Eat BBQ and Watch Football Day. It's well known that Chiefs fans basically OWN the tailgating competition; what other teams can say their fans can eat a full-sized chicken leg and do the tomahawk chop all at once? None. No matter how the team is doing, you can still hear the famous roar of the red sea from miles away.
5. Your boys in blue bring the Championships.
From the Royals to Sporting KC, you're no stranger to Championship trophies.
6. There is no party like a P&L party.
From watch parties to concerts, Kansas Citians will show up ready to go all-out.
7. You're fully prepared for all four seasons in one week.
Is it weird that you wear flip flops one day and UGG boots the next? Nope.
8. You’re not entirely sure what the outdoor venue in Bonner Springs is called this year, but that won’t keep you from going this summer.
Sandstone Amphitheater, Bonner Springs Amphitheater, Providence Medical Center Amphitheater..who knows?
9. You listened to Tech N9ne before he was famous.
If someone asked you who Tech N9ne was, you might have the urge to slap them and then force them to recite the lyrics of KCMO Anthem until they don't forget it. Just a fair warning...
10. You know your districts.
Westport, Crossroads, Power and Light, River Market, financial, plaza, etc. All districts were not created equal.
11. Going to the lake only means one thing: Ozarks.
Of course, there are smaller lakes closer, but we're "Go Big or Go Home" type people. If we're going to the lake, we mean Ozarks or Truman.
12. During the holidays, your social media is full of one thing: pictures of people at the plaza.
The plaza is a cool section of KC and all, but non-locals kind of romanticize it a little more than locals. All the people who never come to the city make a special trip every year to get a few pictures with the plaza lights and the Crown Center Christmas tree. You know there's a bunch of non-locals around when there are cars going the wrong way down one-way streets and people taking pictures of everything the can they can see.
13. We don't stand outside with a shotgun and an American flag during storms.
And no, we don't go "Yee, yee there's a tornader comin," either. Yeah, we like storms, but mostly because a good storm means a good nights sleep.
14. The constant road construction forces you to develop superhuman patience.
Gas, break, gas, break, gas, break. Oh, not to mention the wonderful I-70 rush hour! KC is probably the only city in America where you can park your car in the middle of the interstate and have random people offer you anything from food to a bottle of bubbles to occupy you during the wait.
15. You laugh when tourists are so surprised about how nice midwesterners are.
You have definitely held a door open for someone and they stared at you like you just handed them a hundred dollars. Even saying sorry when accidentally bumping into them makes them surprised. I guess most of them expect a bunch of overweight rednecks chasing their cows around and instead, they get a cultured environment and a classy city with very nice locals offering them barbecue. Shocker.
16. It's a big deal when Kenny Chesney comes to town.
Everyone stays sober for a whole five seconds and then it's kiddie pools, pirate flags and an assortment of Chesney songs in the Arrowhead parking lot. With the occasional "Kennnayyy! He's muh Boi!"
17. You're super proud of your city.
Kansas City is a perfect example of a big city with a small-town feel. Largely underrated by the rest of the country, KC is literally a hidden gem.
