Kansas City Hotel Guide

Combining the shopping, attractions, dining and diversity of a major metropolitan area with the friendliness and cost of a medium-sized Midwestern town, Kansas City offers leisure and business travelers a host of options.

When most people speak of Kansas City they’re referring to the part of the city on the Missouri side, where the airport, sports teams, and most businesses are based. Kansas City, Kansas sits across the Missouri River, but these days is primarily an industrial area suffering the problems of urban blight and a post-industrial economy. South of KCK (locals say K-C-K) and west of KCMO (K-C-Moe) are the suburbs of Johnson County, Kansas, a wealthy residential area and an increasingly popular spot for major corporations and elite restaurants to set up shop.

To the north and east of Kansas City are the quaint hamlets of Parkville, Weston, Independence, and Excelsior Springs. All boast charming downtowns, more arts and crafts shops than you ever thought imaginable, and plenty of opportunities for Antique hunters.

In case it wasn’t clear, one of Kansas City’s downfalls is its significant sprawl. After twenty years of expected northward expansion that just hasn’t come, the airport is still 45 minutes north of anywhere you’d probably want to be. Public transportation is only practical if you’re in a tight corridor of the heart of KCMO, and the Johnson County suburbs are an increasingly significant area that it’s likely you’ll have to do business in. All this is to say that if you’re flying into Kansas City, renting a car will make things much easier.

To really experience KC, you’ll want to make sure to 1) eat barbecue, 2) take in some live jazz music, 3) attend a Royals or Chiefs game and 4) eat more barbecue. A recent inspection of the Kansas City phonebook yielded no fewer than 69 restaurants listed in the barbecue category. Spots range from hastily assembled plywood shacks that look like they’re about to collapse or burn down, to swanky, high-tone places where people eat with bibs covering their silk suits and designer dresses at business dinners or anniversary dates. Somewhere in the middle is the locally-owned chain of Gate’s, well-regarded by locals and visitors. Be prepared: On entering you’ll approach the counter where an employee will scream at the top of his or her lungs, “HI! MAY I HELP YOU?” at which time you’ll be expected to know exactly what you want to eat and have your payment in hand.

Charlie Parker was born and is buried (despite his deathbed request not to be) in Kansas City, and the area embraces its jazz heritage today, when live jazz can be found throughout the city and even in the suburbs. On any given night there should be at least a dozen clubs with live acts.

If they are at home when you’re in town, the Kansas City Royals baseball games and the Kansas City Chiefs football games are top-notch entertainment. Though both stadiums are located a bit east of the urban core, the atmosphere is still energetic. Royals tickets are never difficult to come by, and though the Chiefs have sold out every home game for a decade, legal ticket scalping in Kansas means tickets are easily obtainable, as long as you’re willing to pay a bit over face value.

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