There are two things that I can claim as a part of my being: a broke college student, and an adventure-seeker. Oftentimes, these two sentiments can be mutually exclusive and therefore contradict one another, one canceling the other out. While I do not hold the funds to transport myself to other countries and gain the experience of traveling, I nevertheless often hold a bit of a "staycation" for myself. Growing up in St. Louis, Missouri, I have seen almost all there is to see there as far as tourist attractions go (except I have never been up in the arch, which is mildly ironic). Moving to Kansas City for my institute of higher learning, I have come to be an almost-adult in KCMO.
As an almost-adult coming of age in the Midwest, one needs to explore their city and environment. The easiest way to do so in Kansas City is to first park at the WWI monument. It is from here that you can catch a beautiful glimpse of the postcard skyline of KC dappled in the lights and the beauty of it all.
Once you soak that in, pop on over to the little streetcar stop next to Union Station, I recommend taking it the full way to River Market, and then progressively hitting various other stops in Kansas City accordingly.
When in River Market, the first stop to see is the Town of Kansas Bridge. It is a beautiful square structure overlooking the Missouri River, complete with a brief history of the bluffs and the River Market district.
Depending on when you go to River Market, it is additionally a beautiful idea to take some time and peruse the City Market, which is a farmer's market and flea market, and River Market Antiques, the most amazing four-story antique store that I have ever been to.
From River Market, I suggest stopping to see the downtown branch of the library. Built inside of what used to be a bank, the library is a beautiful sight to behold, for journey seekers, book worms, architecture lovers, and the likes.
Once the library has been seen, continue on to the Power and Light district. I recommend that one ventures to this district at nighttime and over the age of 21, seeing as many of the areas are restricted for those who are of age. Nevertheless, I suggest you travel afoot and soak in the beauty of the artificial lighting and the amazing way that the lights look. Here's an image of how beautiful the whole thing is:
Once you have seen the beautiful lights of the P&L district, take the street car down to the Crossroads arts district, hit up Art Alley, and just bask in the glory of graffiti.
When you see that, hop back on to the streetcar, take it all the way back to Union Station, exit to the left, and get lost in The Link. You'll thank yourself.
When you've experienced all the beauty that KC has to offer, just via it's adorable little street car, please document your experiences and send me your reviews via the comments. I would love to hear what you thought about my adventure suggestions.
