Kansas City train trip?

[Gingee]

I am kicking around a short trip to Kansas Cityn over Christmastime. I am looking at leaving out of Galesburg, Illinois and taking the train to Kansas City. I have checked the web site and I can't find much information as far as transportation in that town. I am kind of looking at sites (like museums) that we could go to during the cold weather. Does anyone know much about Kansas City. I see it is about a five hour trip from Galesburg.

 

[RailFanLNK]

Gingee, I live in LNK about 218 miles from KC. I have season tickets to the Kansas City Chiefs football team since 1989. You need to go to The Plaza and Westport. Rooms might be hard to find if 1., there's a Chiefs game, (they play the Titans December 16th, the other games in late December are away games) 2., if there's alot of travellers in to see the lights. There train station is a musuem and there are bullet holes still in the wall from a shootout with gangsters in 1934. Need to eat at Arthur Bryants BBQ at 1727 Brooklyn Ave. DO NOT eat at any of the other Bryants. This establishment has been there since 1932. I call them the "BBQ ****'s", help is abrasive and gruff, but that adds to the ambiance of Bryants. You order your food through a "dairy queen" type window inside a cafe. Food is great and its a bit of a blast seeing how things operate. Sketchy neighborhood, but go during the day and you won't have a problem. The Negro Leagues Baseball Musuem is a must and it shares the building with the Jazz Musuem. It is near Bryants. Wolf Lodge is a great place for adults or kids. Its an indoor water park. Station Casino is a "train" themed casino near the Missouri River. I don't gamble but my friends like the place. Dixon's Chili on 40 HWY in Independence is a place where Harry Truman used to eat. If you want to make your family miserable, eat at Dixon's, they will pay for there misery through their noses!

 

[Everydaymatters]

Gingee, about 10 years ago I went to KC with my granddaughter. There was a steamboat museum, which we found very interesting. We did not visit the Art Museum on that trip. Kansas City had a lot of fountains and a very pretty shopping district. We were there only for the weekend and that seemed to be ample time.

 

[MrFSS]

I am kicking around a short trip to Kansas City over Christmastime. I am looking at leaving out of Galesburg, Illinois and taking the train to Kansas City. I have checked the web site and I can't find much information as far as transportation in that town. I am kind of looking at sites (like museums) that we could go to during the cold weather. Does anyone know much about Kansas City. I see it is about a five hour trip from Galesburg.

They also have a few places that specialize in RIBS and STEAKS. Some of the best I've ever eaten were in the KC area.

 

[stlouielady]

If you want/need to rent a car, there is a Hertz local edition located at the Westin Crown Plaza hotel. It is a short walk, all enclosed, from KC Union Station. They say that they will come and get you, but, I've always chosen to take the five minute walk; there is a direct connect phone to them in the station waiting room. They offer a special rate for Amtrak customers, and you can earn Guest Rewards points. Go to the Hertz website, do a search for neighborhood locations, and search for Kansas City; the location, if I remember correctly, will show up towards the bottom of the list. I travel to the Kansas City area four times a year for work, and always rent from them.

If you have any questions about this, let me know, and I'll do what I can to help....

 

[como]

All of the above suggestions are great. You might consider staying at the Crown Plaza because it is an easy walk from Union Station. Country Club Plaza is a 10 minute taxi or bus ride south of Union Station. The bus system is ok and it is easy to get around. The Plaza is a great place to visit around Christmas with lights and decorations and plenty of places to spend lots of money. Kansas City has a world class art museum, the Nelson-Atkins, a block from the Plaza. You can spend an afternoon there and it is free.

 

[had8ley]

Gingee, I live in LNK about 218 miles from KC. I have season tickets to the Kansas City Chiefs football team since 1989. You need to go to The Plaza and Westport. Rooms might be hard to find if 1., there's a Chiefs game, (they play the Titans December 16th, the other games in late December are away games) 2., if there's alot of travellers in to see the lights. There train station is a musuem and there are bullet holes still in the wall from a shootout with gangsters in 1934. Need to eat at Arthur Bryants BBQ at 1727 Brooklyn Ave. DO NOT eat at any of the other Bryants. This establishment has been there since 1932. I call them the "BBQ ****'s", help is abrasive and gruff, but that adds to the ambiance of Bryants. You order your food through a "dairy queen" type window inside a cafe. Food is great and its a bit of a blast seeing how things operate. Sketchy neighborhood, but go during the day and you won't have a problem. The Negro Leagues Baseball Musuem is a must and it shares the building with the Jazz Musuem. It is near Bryants. Wolf Lodge is a great place for adults or kids. Its an indoor water park. Station Casino is a "train" themed casino near the Missouri River. I don't gamble but my friends like the place. Dixon's Chili on 40 HWY in Independence is a place where Harry Truman used to eat. If you want to make your family miserable, eat at Dixon's, they will pay for there misery through their noses!

Hey Al;

With all the stuff in KC why isn't it on the ballot for next year?

 

[DaveKCMO]

use the max (kcata.org) and skip the car. it won't take you to arthur bryant's, but i've found their BBQ to be overrated. a much better option is jack stack, which is right near the train station. if you must rent a car, there are thrifty (20th street) and budget (westin crown center) counters nearby. the max goes downtown, crown center, westport, and the plaza, so there isn't much you'll miss... and it leaves directly from east side of the station.

 

[RailFanLNK]

I'm still a rookie to all of this transportation stuff Had8ley! But I'm a learnin'!

Al

 

[Gingee]

Gad you guys gave me so many ideas I am confused. LOL

What is the max (transportation)?

So if you came in on a train (day after Christmas) and stay a few days, can anyone tell me of a good central location to stay at?

 

[DaveKCMO]

the max is an express bus that runs up and down main street and stops at union station. it runs 5 a.m. to midnight daily every 9 to 30 minutes, depending on the time of day (ask the driver for the $3 day pass when you board). i would go to hotwire and book something "downtown/crown center" (probably less than $100), which would put you in a hotel that is no more than 1 mile from union station. plaza hotels are full this time of year because of the lights and shopping, but the plaza itself no more than 15-20 minutes from downtown on the max (don't miss it!).

if you want to specify a hotel and don't care about paying full price, try the westin crown center since it's connected to the train station by an elevated walkway (the link) and is highly rated. you can even rent a car from hertz inside that hotel if you reserve via hertz.com and specify you're arriving on amtrak. there is an outdoor ice rink at crown center that is small but fun, and the mall itself is decorated nicely for the holidays (owned by hallmark cards).

another must do is the nelson-atkins museum of art, which just opened a stunning expansion. it's due east of the plaza on 47th street (it's quite walkable, depending on weather) and admission is free.

 

[Gingee]

If we do go, we will try to do it on a budget. I don't need a fancy hotel but I want to be centrally located and in a safe place.

 

[DaveKCMO]

you will be safe using hotwire.com or priceline, which requires upfront and non-refundable payment in exchange for lower prices. i've steered downtown KC visitors there many times and they've never been burned... there are no shady hotels downtown. i just checked hotwire for 12/26 through 12/28 and saw rates between $54 and $134 per night.

 

[Gingee]

Thanks for the advice. I will check into it. Not sure if we will go or not but it gives me more information to go on.

 

[Guest_domefoamer_*]

You could spend a few pleasant hours just soaking up Union Station with its museums and exhibits. But Kansas City itself may exceed your expectations. I spent a few days there and never ran out of sights to see. There's fine architecture, traditional and modern, almost everywhere you look. The food was outstanding, and cheap. There's more interesting terrain than you expect from anyplace called "Kansas." And lots of entertainment- when I was there, you could see country crooner Lyle Lovett, jazzmen Wynton Marsalis or Pat Metheny, or comedian Steven Wright. I doubt that NYC or LA could boast of better headliners over a four-night period.

I live in Denver, so there's no local pride speaking here. But I've become a fan of KC. You're in for a treat.

A great traveling companion would be the novel "Flying Crows." Written by Tom Lehrer, of PBS fame, it's the story of an escaped mental patient found holed up for four decades in the ruin of KC Union Station. And it's a true story, partly.