Kansas City…Here We Come
Kansas City is perhaps the go-to weekend destination for most people in our neck of the woods. It is less than a 3-hour drive and offers a variety of attractions and shopping opportunities for visitors. 
We can travel to KC 15 times a year and never do the same thing. The city has much to offer tourists – museums, sporting events, festivals, shopping and dining choices.
The city has the Nelson-Atkins Museum (free admission) and a dynamite outdoor sculpture garden. The Liberty WW I Museum and observation tower is a great historical attraction. Shopping centers via Westport, Country Club, Zona Rosa, and The Legends are available.
Our recent trip had a stated purpose – the 2012 Ice Breaker Tournament to kick off the college hockey season. Taking in four college hockey games over two nights was awesome.
Besides the college hockey games, we took in some tourist activities. We visited the Boulevard Brewery for the first time. We enjoyed a nice lunch at Andre’s, which was also a first time visit for us. Return visits included the Hallmark Visitors center and Harry S Truman Presidential Library and Museum.
Our first stop in KC was the Boulevard Brewery. The wife and I are not much of drinkers, but we are always up for tours of interesting attractions. I commented to my wife and our friend that despite technically being non-drinkers, Boulevard was the fifth brewery or distillery tour for us. That made for a nice chuckle.
Anyhoo, the Boulevard Brewery was interesting. They walked us through the original warehouse and then on to the current brewing and bottling areas. When it first opened in 1988, the goal was to manufacture about 600,000 bottles of beer annually. The goal was shattered in the first year. 
Now the largest craft brewer in the Midwest and the 17th largest brewery in the United States, Boulevard creates a variety of beers annually. The brewery sponsors sporting activities, including the Kansas City Royals post-game baseball show.
The brewery has several flavors available right now – a rye, 80 acres and Oktoberfest. At the end of the tour, visitors can exchange four bottle caps for samples. The glasses are about 4 ounces, so you can get a nice taste of the offerings. We tried 4 flavors, and found the Oktoberfest most pleasant to our tastes.
The main purpose of our trip was to take in the four hockey games. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Maine Black Bears kicked off the tournament with a showdown of Top 20 teams. ND beat Maine by a 1-0 margin to advance to the tournament’s championship game.
Nebraska-Omaha (our team) took on the Army Black Knights in the opening round’s night capper. The Mavericks jumped out quick to a 2-0 first period lead. UNO finished off Army 5-1 to advance to the title game.
Since we did not have to be at the Sprint Center until 3:30 for a Saturday afternoon game between Army and Maine for the consolation prize, we took in some sightseeing.
Our friend had not been to the Hallmark Visitors Center at the Crown Center shopping center near downtown and the Union Station area, so we thought she might like to visit it. We hadn’t been there ion a few years, ourselves.
It was a nice visit, as I had forgotten some of the attractions there. Hallmark, makers of greeting cards of all seasons and celebrations, was the brainchild of Joyce Hill in 1910. Hall, a David City, Nebraska, native chose KC over Omaha for the company location. Otherwise, our city would be the home of Hoops and Yoyo.
The self-guided tour offered visitors views of original greeting cards, set against the backdrop of the era.
Among the items to see were Christmas trees made from Hallmark ornaments or cards. Some of the holiday trees were made with themes, such as Christmas around the World, which displayed ornaments representing countries and cultures. The last Christmas tree displayed was made from quilts. The tree was to mark the holiday season in 1982. Hall passed away that October. The employees finished the tree and dedicated it to the family in honor of the founder.
After viewing the Emmy award and other media awards won by the company’s “Hallmark Specials” TV programs, and commercials from around the world, we looked at some of the ornaments designed by the employees or for the company.
One interesting attraction is the working printing press on-site. It was a one-color press. The center also has a design cutter on site that makes patterns that school children can use for decorations.
After the center, it was time for lunch. We visited Andre’s on Main Street. It is a fixed-price diner, offering three items for lunch. The menu may be fixed, but the food is delicious. The meal includes your drink – coffee, tea or water. Dessert comes with the lunch. You will walk away comfortably full.
The restaurant includes a bakery, with a large selection of treats. I recommend Andre’s. It is open for lunch 11 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. except for Sunday.
Back to the Sprint Center we went. Maine defeated Army 4-3 to take third place.
The championship game between UNO and Notre Dame was exciting to watch. While the Irish defeated UNO 3-2, I thought the Mavs played well against their former CCHA conference rival.
On Sunday, we thought we would hit the Truman library in Independence on our way out of town.
The presidential library and museum offer a great insight into the Truman presidency.
The museum covered his life – from Truman’s youth and his early days of business and politics through his presidency and post-presidency life.
The historical tour revealed the successes and struggles Harry Truman encountered. From failing in business ventures to enjoying political victories, Truman refused to back off his positions.
As a national politician, Truman rose to a position in the United States Senate that led to him being named as the compromise to be the running mate for Franklin Roosevelt’s fourth term in 1944. Roosevelt died in office just over a month into his fourth term.
Truman became a reluctant President of the United States in 1945.
He was thrust into ending World War II with a world-changing decision. He reluctantly agreed to approve dropping the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima in an effort to end the war in the Pacific theater. The war came to an end following the second bomb being dropped on Nagasaki. 
The decision to use atomic bombs was not easily made or widely supported. It was a controversial decision.
Following the end of WWII, the returning soldiers and sailors led to more issues. The economy was not booming as projected. Society issues ensued.
As the 1948 presidential election approached, Truman was not popular in the polls. Truman pulled off a surprise “re-election” victory. The Chicago Tribune ran a famous headline messing up the result – “Dewey Defeats Truman.” 
Having won a full term of his own, Truman set forth an enthusiastic agenda. He had plans for several social programs, including national health care. His agenda did not have a lot of success, because of a struggling economy and war breaking out in Korea. The Asian battles took attention away from his domestic agenda.
However, among Truman’s second term successes included the Marshall Plan. George Marshall, then secretary of the State, led the economic and physical development of Europe following World War II.
Truman desegregated the military through an executive order. He banned racial discrimination in the federal government.
Truman, while at 30 percent approval rating, left office following the 1952 election to a booming economy.
Truman enjoyed a quiet post-presidency life. He and wife Bess returned to Independence. He walked daily, so it was common to see average citizens walk and visit with him. After the presidential library opened, Truman would personally lead tours for some visitors.
Following the library and museum visit, we drove through downtown Independence, stopping by the Trumans’ house and walking near the courthouse and business districts.
So, as I mentioned in the beginning, you can visit KC often and always find something new to take in. This time around, we had a great time seeing new things, as well as visiting previous stops.
More photos from the Kansas City visit:
