This is it – my final post from our summer road trip! We had a blast getting to know the US better and we had a fabulous time in the south. The people are friendly, the food is good, and the weather is (slightly) better than Texas : )
But I have to admit, by the time we made it to Kansas City, we were pretty tired. We’d even cut the last city – Tulsa – off our list to make it back to Dallas a few days earlier.
We had two focuses in Kansas City: Munchies and museums. We were successful with both.
Our first meal was at Mattie’s Foods because I’m always down for plant-based comfort food. We had the special of the day – street tacos with jackfruit – and a mixed plate with four sides (the best way to sample a bit of everything). All of it was tasty, and if we had been staying just a little closer, we absolutely would have been back for breakfast the next morning – their breakfast menu looked so legit.
Then we made our way to the 18th and Vine neighborhood. It’s recognized as a historical point of origin of jazz music. We’d planned to see some live music while we were in town, but so many places didn’t survive the pandemic or were open fewer days, so there was nothing for us on a Wednesday and Thursday night.
We wandered around the neighborhood for a bit before making our way to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. This was an interesting comparison to the Negro Southern League Museum in Birmingham that we had visited a month prior. It was significantly rowdier, though it seemed an event was just ending as we were arriving.
Things I learned along the way:
-The size of a baseball has remained the same since 1876
-The first all-Black professional team was the Cuban Giants. The team originated in Philadelphia in 1885
-As early as 1908, Black ball players were playing on Cuban and Dominican Republic teams during the off-season for higher payer and larger audiences
-Rube Foster founded the Negro National League in Kansas City in 1920. The league was the first Black baseball circuit to achieve stability and last more than one season
-The Kansas City Monarchs were the first baseball team to utilize lights for night baseball in 1930 – 5 years before MLB did it
-Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier by joining the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947. Larry Doby joined the Cleveland Indians on July 5th of the same year
By the time we were finished, there wasn’t enough time to visit the connected museum – American Jazz Museum. We decided we’d return the next day if time permitted.
For dinner that night we went to The Fix! another plant-forward restaurant – albeit a bit more fried than our lunch stop. We had a fried chick’n sammie, impossible burger, and a lifetime supply of fries. The food was fine, but we were definitely craving something a little healthier at this point.
The next morning we were at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art when they opened at 10:00am. We’d been years ago when driving between Texas and Minnesota. Some of our favorite pieces are housed in this museum, including the Buddhist sculpture of Bodhisattva Guanyin, a deity of mercy and compassion.
We found other gems while re-exploring the museum including an incredible pair of beaded heels in the Native American exhibit. We also made time for the Chinese, South Asian, and Japanese exhibits, as well as the African and Contemporary exhibits.
I’ve noticed over the years that we tend to gravitate toward certain exhibits while bypassing others and it’s nice to finally know what we like when it comes to art.
The museum also had a super fun Art Course out on its lawns near the giant shuttlecock sculptures (badminton projectile). It is a nine-hole mini golf experience designed by artists whose objective was to create an interpretation of a work of art from the museum’s collection. We didn’t have time to play but it certainly looked like a fun time!
Photographed below:
–Shiva Nataraja, The Lord of Dance [Tamil/Indian]
–Guanyin of the Southern Sea [Chinese]
–Adaptation by Jamie Okuma [Luiseño/Shoshone-Bannock/Okinawan/Hawaiian]
–Planets in My Head, Physics by Yinka Shonibare [British-Nigerian]
–Dusasa I by El Anatsui [Ghanaian]
That afternoon we went to lunch at Ruby Jean’s Juicery. It was exactly what we needed food-wise. We got a pitaya bowl, vegan sweet potato curry, and a no-bake cookie (which I haven’t had since I made them in Peace Corps!).
And the best part? We met up with an old friend from Peace Corps. We got to meet her husband and their three kids and talk about life. They live in a mobile trailer and move cities more often than we move countries, which is pretty impressive!
When lunch was over, we realized we really had maxed ourselves out on new experiences for this road trip. We made a mental note to check out the American Jazz Museum and National Museum of Toys & Miniatures next time we find ourselves in Kansas City. We even ordered some takeaway from Ruby Jean’s so we wouldn’t have to leave the hotel for dinner. We had only one stop left for the day: Prospero’s Books.
Because how can I pass up a bookstore? This one had three stories and was chaotic, but lovely all the same. Especially the top floor, photographed below.
The next day was just a car day, but after 37 days on the road, it was nice to finally be home sweet home. I don’t know what next summer has in store for us, but we had a great time exploring the US this summer.
Abroad With Ashley 