2007 Kansas City Frequently Asked Questions

2007 Kansas City | Hotel Information | Photos | Program Highlights | Critiques | Convention Reports

While you're humming "Going to Kansas City, Kansas City here I come," you may have a few questions...

Q. Am I going to Kansas City, Mo. or Kansas City, Kan.?
A. You'll stay in Kansas City, Mo., the bigger of the two like-named cities. But you'll not be far from the Kansas state line, and you'll hear from Missouri & Kansas politicians and military leaders.

Q. Just how big is Kansas City?
A. Surprisingly so. Although a metro area of 1.9 million residents isn't unusual, what really surprises is the actual size of the city: 320 square miles (making it one of the largest cities geographically in the country) with a population of just 450,000. When you land at the Kansas City International Airport (MCI, by the way, is the code for air fare searches), you'll be at the northern end of the sprawling city limits. You'll still be in the city at the Hotel InterContinental, some 24 miles south. And you can travel another 12 miles south before you hit the southern boundary.

Q. Do I need a rental car?
A. Not for convention-only attendees. The convention has buses for all off-hotel site activities and you'll be within walking distance of 150 shops and restaurants, trails and a lovely park. If you are traveling with a spouse who wants to get around a larger area, check hotwire.com for good last-minute rental car rates. (Be sure to find the after-taxes rate, however, because we thank you very much for helping build the new Sprint Arena downtown with your next car rental.)

Q. What's the best bet for airfares?
A. Shop around. Airfarewatchdog.com offers a good list of advertised and unadvertised specials. Southwest and Midwest are two big carriers here, but all the major airlines use MCI.

Q. What's the best way to get to the hotel?
A. KCI Shuttle offers bus service to the Hotel InterContinental for $18 one-way, $31 roundtrip. At the airport, visit one of the KCI Shuttle ticket counters located adjacent to most airline baggage claim areas to arrange a shuttle ride. Or, if the agent is away, use the white customer phone on the customer service islands to dial 5000 for the shuttle.

The hotel has negotiated a (discounted) $39 cab fare. Quicksilver offers shared van service with drivers to meet you at the curb. Reserve in advance at 913-262-0905 for scheduled pickup service at $33.50, before gratuity. Or, for post-midnight arrivals, make a reservation with KCI Shuttle's "dedicated service" at 816-243-5000, for $45 (works for up to three people at that price).

Q. I'm a walker/jogger. Where can I head early in the a.m. or evening?
A. Two options: If you walk south (uphill) just a short way you'll enter Loose Park on your right, one of the best in the city's extensive park system. The park has a terrific easy-on-the-knees trail, well worth a lap sometime during the week. The second option is to run/stroll along Brush Creek just across the street from the hotel. The Plaza also has public tennis courts and the city has many golf courses.

Q. What should I pack?
A. Fall can be a wonderful time with moderate temperatures in KC, but rain is always possible. A light jacket/sweater, an umbrella and business casual will cover you for the week. Some folks like to dress it up a bit on Sat. night.

Q: KC has a jazz heritage. Where can I hear good jazz?
A. The hotel lobby should have music nightly. Jardine's (4536 Main St., jardines4jazz.com) is within walking distance and has top jazz nightly, plus Saturday afternoons, 1-4 p.m., features Tommy Ruskin Trio. (Smoky, however). We'll hear Latin jazz on Thursday at the (smoke-free) Blue Room. And the closing banquet features The Scamps, a jazz band that has its own street named for it downtown. Check The Star for other options that week.

Q. And barbecue?
A. We'll have taste treats from three top barbecue restaurants Thursday night: Arthur Bryant's, Gates and Fiorella's Jack Stack. If that's not enough, there are many options on the Plaza, near the Plaza, and elsewhere. One you won't taste Thursday is in a gas station and has lots of fans, Oklahoma Joe's, at 3002 W 47th Ave, Kansas City, KS. (913) 722-3366.

Q. If I want to extend my stay, what are the options?
A. Many. Here are just a few: The weekend before our meeting is the 76th annual Plaza Art Fair, a top national street art fair with hundreds of exhibitors and dozens of food booths and musical performances. Speaking of art, don't miss the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, 4420 Warwick Blvd, featuring KC Collects and "Putting the U back in Curator" where visitors choose art from the stored contemporary collection to display, with explanations for their choices. The Kemper has a fine restaurant, Cafe Sebastienne, open for lunches and dinner on the Friday free night.

Because the spouse tour is going to Truman Library, attendees who arrive early or stay late may want to book this stop as well in Independence. Save time to tour the Truman Home, too. Only 8 visitors at a time are allowed inside, so it won't be part of the spouse tour day.

Union Station downtown was "saved" by a rare bi-state metropolitan sales tax that paid for refurbishing the grand central train station. Now it has a Science Center, a big-screen movie theater, a live theater, planetarium and good restaurant, Pierpont's, for steaks or seafood.

Lawrence, Kan., home to the University of Kansas, is just a 40-minute drive west. Head for Massachusetts St. to sample shops & restaurants, visit the campus, Allen Field House and the museums. Restaurant alert: perhaps the finest chef in the Midwest (and the most expensive), Robert Krause and his wife, Molly, operate an unusual restaurant from their home in Lawrence, 917 Delaware St., 785-838-9830. Reservations required. Bring your bank book for the $75 prix fixe, excluding wine.

Speaking of bank books, four area casinos will be happy to empty yours as well. Ameristar and Harrah's are the most lavish, and they have musical entertainment. Also, the weekend before and after is the Renaissance Festival in Bonner Springs, Kan. 800-373-0357. Period costumes, performances, food, games of chance, all with a renaissance flair.

Sept. 27: Soccer fans will want to watch for late night sightings of KC Wizards and LA Galaxy stars, including one rather-well-known player named Beckham. The teams face off at Arrowhead Stadium while we're artfully entertained at the new Bloch Building of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.

Sept. 28-30: The Kansas City Symphony presents Garrick Ohlsson plays Chopin, Lyric Theater, 11th and Central Sts. Downtown. 816-471-0400. (Free seats available for Friday evening's open time. Reserve in advance.)

Sept. 28-30: Kansas City Royals v. Cleveland Indians. Kauffman Stadium, I-435 & I-70. 1-800-6ROYALS. NCEW has tickets reserved for Friday night, with bus service available from the Plaza to the game.

Sept. 29-30: American Royal Arabian Horse Spectacular, American Royal Complex, 1701 American Royal Ct., downtown. A KC tradition featuring national competitors.

For spouses: The 82nd annual American Royal Parade hits the streets downtown on Sat. morning, Sept. 29. 816-221-9800. Marching bands, family floats, politicians galore, a celebration that kicks off weeks of rodeos, horse shows, animal shows and farm lore.

Sept. 30: Kansas 400 - Kansas Speedway. NASCAR fan alert. Kansas City, Kan.'s newest tourist attraction. (Yellow Transportation 300 on Sept. 29, for spouses who like fast cars.) Nearby: shop at the expansive Nebraska Furniture Mart (a favorite investment of Berkshire Hathaway), find outdoor gear at Cabala's, or try myriad shops, restaurants in this new development.

Speaking of shopping, if you tire of the hundreds of shops at The Plaza including KC's own Halls upscale department store owned by the Hallmark Cards family, consider a trip to Crown Center, (not-so-coincidentally also owned by the Hallmark crowd and including another Halls store) featuring the 31st annual Heart of America Quilt Festival, 2450 Grand Blvd., 816-274-8444.

For antiques: Cruise the small shops at 45th Street & State Line. For eclectic local shops, sample shops on 63rd St., east of Wornall Road in Brookside.

A little farther afield: Nordstrom (along with every other chain store known to mankind) is in a large shopping center, Oak Park Mall, in Johnson County.

If you'd like to rent a car and travel two hours, consider a day in the Kansas Flint Hills, home to the endangered tallgrass prairie. Head to Cottonwood Falls, Kan., about 120 miles southwest of Kansas City. The Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve is four miles north of town. The nearly 11,000-acre park was established in 1996 after a long and sometimes bitter feud over federal ownership. Most of the parkland is native tallgrass prairie that has never been plowed. 620-273-8494 or nps.gov/tapr. Contact: Chase County Chamber of Commerce, 800-431-6344 or chasecountychamber.org.

More nature outings: Missouri has some fabulous rivers for canoes and fishing in the south-central portion. The Jacks Fork, for example, is spring fed and offers great scenery for float trips.

Dogwood Canyon Nature Park, about 230 miles south of Kansas City, or almost to the Missouri-Arkansas line south of Branson, offers 10,000 acres filled with streams, waterfalls, limestone cliffs, covered bridges and flowering trees. The park is owned by John Morris, founder of Bass Pro Shops. Among activities are self-guided walking tours, bike rentals, tram tours, fishing, kayaking and horseback riding. 417-779-5983, dogwoodcanyon.com. For a lovely place to stay, try Big Cedar Lodge, also owned by Bass Pro Shops folks. Pricey, but well situated on Table Rock Lake, exquisitely landscaped, with boats for rent and golf nearby. It's 11 miles south of Branson, home of more country music and kitsch entertainment than any place outside of Las Vegas. Contact: Branson/Lake Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, 800-935-1199 or explorebranson.com.

Or drive three hours to the Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri. Boating galore. Tan-Tar-A Lodge and Lodge of the Four Seasons have a variety of room options, water sports, spas, etc.

Missouri Show Caves: The caves are found across the state. Missouri boasts a wide selection of so-called "show caves," open for touring. Among them: Bridal Cave, north of Camdenton; Fantastic Caverns, on the edge of Springfield; Meramec Caverns, southwest of St. Louis; Onondaga Cave State Park, southwest of St. Louis; Ozark Caverns, south of Osage Beach at Lake of the Ozarks State Park; and Round Spring Caverns, north of Eminence. Contact: Bridal: 573-346-2676, bridalcave.com; Fantastic: 417-833-2010, fantasticcaverns.com; Meramec: 573-468-2283, americascave.com; Onondaga, 573-245-6600, mostateparks.com; Ozark: 573-346-2500, mostateparks.com; Round Spring: 573-858-3297, Ext. 23 or 25, nps.gov/ozar.

And, if you head due east, 240 miles away is that "other" city in Missouri, on the banks of the Mississippi, St. Louis, with its oversized arch, Forest Park, St. Louis Science Center, St. Louis Art Museum, Botanical Gardens, shopping, restaurants and the "Harvard of the Midwest," Washington University.

Hungry?

We'll include a restaurant list in your welcome packet, but to get you thinking:

There are lots of restaurant options right on the Plaza: For coffee lovers: Latte Land is the local option; Starbucks for the chain fans. Locally owned restaurants: Classic Cup has sidewalk dining including breakfast, lunch and dinner, JJ's has a massive wine list, Plaza III, a traditional pricey KC steak house. Chain fare: PF Chang's, McCormick & Schmick's (with outdoor dining), M&S Grillle, Capital Grille has massive steaks and prices to match, Brio (Italian).

The Mixx, near the near Plaza Library, is an affordable lunch spot for soups, salads and sandwiches. Bo Ling's, near the Board of Trade Building, offers traditional Chinese. Grand Street Cafe; (locally owned, patio available) offers excellent food. It sits just behind the classic KC burger joint, Winstead's, just east of the Plaza. Lots more restaurant options in Westport, a night spot for bars, as well as 39th Street near State Line. Bluestem (bluestemkc.com) got a rave recent write up in NYT but three-course meals cost $55, without wine. (900 Westport Road, (816) 561-1101).

A little farther away but worth a drive: American Restaurant for fancy meals by a James Beard-award winner chef, Celina Tio. Pierpont's for seafood or steaks in Union Station (historic renovation is elegant.) Aixois, at 55th & Oak Sts., for French bistro dinner and coffee house in the a.m. Lidia's KC, by chef Lidia Bastianch is in the Crossroads Arts District just north of Union Station. Lots of galleries and art for browsing nearby. 1924 Main, at 1924 Main St. downtown, also is in a historic building. Michael Smith's restaurant at 19th & Main is a newcomer. His ex, Debbie Gold, continues to run the award-winning 40 Sardines in southern Leawood at 119th & Roe, near the Leawood Town Center shopping area. Morton's Steak House at Crown Center is offering a two-eat-for-$99 special coupon for NCEW.

Call or e-mail questions to Miriam Pepper, 816-234-4421 or mpepper@kcstar.com; or try Trudy Hurley, administrative assistant, at 816-234-4885 or thurley@kcstar.com.