Kansas City MO

Some friends who lived there before recently suggested that we take a trip with them to Kansas. Sure, we had never been there so what the heck. It was another state we could check off of our places to visit list.

Kansas City is a town that is underrated. We had a great time in the area.

I did not know that the area was so attractive. It is a physically pretty place in my books. The buildings are nice, there are some very nice monuments, and there are fountains, statues and art everywhere.

I will get an entry up about Hallmark soon, but the company is visible here. We visited their visitor center and had a great time.

I am guessing a lot of talented artists are here too, because I saw plenty of nice artwork on the buildings. Not amateur paintings, or places where the local middle school painted a mural. Quality work.

There is something about fountains. The area loves them. Many were very ornate.

One thing that amazed me was the Liberty Memorial. Sadly, it is closed on Mondays, and guess which day I had available to visit? Still, I saw it from the outside and my jaw dropped. Photos do not do justice to it. They started building it in 1921 and finished building it in 1926. Our friends told us that it had set pretty much abandoned and in bad shape for some time. It is fixed up now though. There are 2 Sphinx statues which hide their faces. they are also stunning.

The downtown area has a couple of glassed in pedestrian type bridges that connect several key buildings. This reminded me of Indianapolis some. Very nicely maintained, and very easy to use.
We spent some time at their great city market. You can see the skyline from there and it looks great. See my photo. Obviously, we weren't looking for vegetables on this day, but we found some fun nicknack's.

We spent a lot of time in the Crown Center area which is connected by the walkways, and home some unique food and shopping places.

Easton- Columbus, OH.

Several years ago, one of the all time coolest malls went up in the Columbus area. It is a bit of a city of its own.

I have spent entire weekends here. Seriously. The place is surrounded by nice hotels. There is enough going on here to justify a weekend trip. Get a room, park at the hotel, and walk to the mall each day.

I have watched bands play, comedians, and other stuff go on here. They have a 20 theater movie place. Plus restaurants and shopping.

Random Thoughts on Friday

I have to admit, the heat is getting to me!

If you are in Lexington, check out the new restaurant, BlueFire Bar and Grill, at the Hyatt Regency connected to Rupp.

I had some Maple Salmon there the other day that was really nice! They have remodelled, and retooled the place. It is an upgrade.

I am not a pro wresting fan these days, but I was one growing up. I know wresting was at Rupp the other night. Someone told me they saw Jerry Lawler in town, and he was a really nice guy.

I don't know if I mentioned it here before, but when I was a VERY little kid, I got Lawler's autograph at the Sports Center in Owensboro. I remember looking up at him, and holding my small photo of him over my head. I remember him being very kind about it, and making a point to look me in the eyes and saying, "you're welcome" after I said thank you. "The King" will always be a Kentucky favorite.

The Book Loft- Columbus, OH.

Since I am still on a bit of a Columbus kick, I thought I should mention the Book Loft. This is one of my all time favorite bookshops. Their selection goes on forever.

Its almost like the guys at the Book Loft saw a cool old building and thought about how cool it would be to make the entire spacious place a bookstore. They claim that the place is 32 rooms of books. I have never counted when I have been there, but that sounds right.

It is a bit of a maze walking through the place. You could almost get lost. It is also 3 floors tall and every room is crammed with books.

I have been to some older book stores in big buildings that are very unorganized. Not here. It has a lot of stock taking up a lot of space, but it is clean and organized.

The walkway on the side leading to the door is very nice and pleasant. I have posted a photo.

This is just a nice area too. Several relaxing coffee shops and restaurants are near by.

Downtown Columbus OH.

Columbus is a town that has a very lively feel. I have compared it to Pittsburgh before, and I think that is an accurate comparison. Columbus is trying to make itself relevant again, and the "trying" part of their efforts may be over.

Columbus has, hands down, some of my favorite shopping areas outside of Kentucky. I will put some posts up soon about their huge book store in their German area, and Easton to talk more about that.

Their Short North Arts District is very cool. I have always enjoyed strolling through their artsy shops here. Check out their site:

http://www.shortnorth.org/

I have watched some great small venue concerts here, and I have been to several sporting events. In fact, if I remember correctly, Columbus was hosting regular MMA events before that became popular.

COSI, the areas science museum is legendary. I know we have all been to science centers and kids museums, but this is in a class of its own. It is overwhelming. I know they just got the Titanic Exhibit AGAIN. I saw it when it was there the first time. COSI alone is worth a trip to town.

http://www.cosi.org/

The town looks nice too. The skyline is attractive. The town is big and happening, but it is friendly. We walked about half an hour from our hotel to the new ballpark and we enjoyed the casual walk.

Check out my other blog for a review of the new Hunting Park where the AAA Clippers play.

Old Fort Harrod, Harrodsburg, KY.

Old Fort Harrod is quickly becoming one of my favorite stops on a nice weekend. The place is just cool.

A couple of weeks ago they had their pioneer reenactment weekend. The weather was iffy, but they still had a lot going on.

Biltmore Estate Asheville, NC.

http://www.biltmore.com/

The Biltmore Estate is another cool attraction that is a bit beyond description.

We got up early and spent most of our day in Asheville here, and that evening we went to an Asheville Tourists baseball game. That night, after leaving the game, by head hurt. There was just so much to think about! The Biltmore is overwhelming. a 2 day trip here is justified. You will need at the very least a day.

The house itself is the biggest one around. It was over 40 bathrooms and goes on forever.

It seemed like we had to drive about 20 minutes from the front entrance of the property until we finally arrived at the parking area. From there, you can walk or take a shuttle to the actual house. You exit out of another way, and I think we drove another 20 minutes getting out.

They have a winery place on the way out. I am personally not a big wine person, but I enjoy going by the wine shops. They had the standard dip samples, fun snacks, wine tasting, etc. They had a great hot apple cider mix. I had a sample and left with some. Good stuff!

There are several shops in the main estate building area too. They have a comfy outdoor eating area. We had some nice sandwiches from their cafe and enjoyed the view from outside.

They also had the nice Christmas themed shop, a candy shop, etc. I found some really cool postcards. I was very excited to see that they actually make new linen postcards for the Biltmore!

Admission is high ($60 per person and up) but it is worth at least one visit in every one's lifetime. You get a lot for your admission. There are many great gardens, a greenhouse and a tour. On the day we went, the place was packed. The lines through the house moved slow and leisurely.

Apple Barn Pigeon Forge, TN

I've still got Pigeon Forge on my mind.

Here are some photos from the Apple Barn. This is one of those places that EVERYONE says you must stop at while you are in the area.

If you are going to be anywhere close to the place, go there. Skip over other chain country themed restaurants.

Check out the view from their front porch! Yep. The lat time you were setting on the porch of a country style Apple Barn wannabe restaurant, you were probably looking at the highway! How relaxing is that?

I had some soup, some BBQ chicken and tea. Our very kind waitress brought some little fruit juice drink out to us too that was nice. I forget what it was exactly, but this was a great meal. She brought other extras out to be nice too. I don't know if that is the norm or not, but we loved everything.

There is a Christmas themed gift shop here, and a general apple store. There are some other shops right here selling wine and candy.

I want to use some cliches here to describe the food, and the cozy shops but I won't. This is one of the nicest places to eat in the Pigeon Forge, and probably in the entire state. Believe the hype.

http://www.applebarncidermill.com/

Random Thoughts On Friday

Hey, there is the Berea Craft Fair this weekend! Go there!

I was again watching the show, "Last Comic Standing" this week. Another "comedian" took a cheap shot at Kentucky. This one wasn't as bad as the last one.

The guy said he was driving through Kentucky and he came across a klan rally. For the record, I have driven across the state, north, south, east and west, and I have never stumbled across such an event.

it is raining here, FINALLY. It has been hot lately.

Postcard: Here's to Old Kentucky

I found this used postcard, postmarked 1948 recently.

The Titanic Museum Pigeon Forge, TN

Pigeon Forge has another great new attraction. I have not been inside yet, but it looks great from the outside! The museum, built to look like the legendary ship, is stunning when you see it from a distance. It is a bit intimidating, actually.

I have been to several of the touring Titanic exhibits, and I am always amazed at all of the well preserved artifacts. I look forward to getting to see this one inside too.

Joseph-Beth Booksellers- Lexington

When I was going to school in Berea years ago, it was such a treat to get to Lexington. At the time the town had THREE malls (2 of which are now defunct). A trip to Joseph-Beth was a must each time we came to Lexington.

Joseph-Beth was in what was until recently the Comp USA store. Even then it seemed huge.

Then, the bookstore sort of took over the mall. It moved out of its side store location and moved to the center mall area.

I remember the first time a friend took me there. I felt overwhelmed. It was a fantasy bookstore. I figured there could not be a more perfect place to buy books anywhere.

At that time, I recall that I was trying to find some obscure books. I asked a staff person at JB if they had them. Some they had, but a couple they did not have in stock. They were able to order them for me.

I do enjoy going to small used book stores, and hunting for an odd out of print book now and then. Still, Joseph Beth is my home book store. When friends visit from out of town, the place is a must stop.

On a side note, when I lived in Cleveland, a great Joseph Beth store opened in the Shaker Square area. I worked in that area, and was able to stop by at least once a week. Just like the one I remembered in Kentucky, the place was cozy, and had a great book and magazine selection. I was so excited about that store! Unfortunately, that store closed (a second Cleveland store opened at Legacy Village. The Cleveland area actually had 2 Joseph Beth stores for a month or so before the Shaker one closed).

Cincinnati has a store too. I like them all, but I am happy to be able to go to the Lexington one every chance I get.

Postcards: Salem, Mass.

I know, these have nothing to do with Kentucky, but they are from Salem, and that is one of my favorite destinations.

They are not dated, and they are unused. The top one is the House of the Seven Gables. The bottom one is of the famous ship that is usually accessible and you can tour it. I love seeing the ship when I am in Salem.

Postcard: Liberty Memorial at Night, Kansas City, MO.

In Kansas City, this Memorial has a lot of history to it. It was left a bit neglected for some time, but it is back and it still looks great! The top postcard (canceled 1934!) reads:

Overlooking the Union Station from a commanding site on Memorial Hill, stands Kansas City's war memorial built by popular subscription at a cost of approximately two and one-half million dollars. The cornerstone was laid in 1921 in the presence of General Pershing and the military leaders of the various Allied nations. In 1926 the completed structure was dedicated by President Coolridge. It was designed by Harold Van Buren Magonigle.

The bottom one is postmarked 1947. It reads:

This monument cost $2,500,000 and bears the following inscription- "To perpetuate the Courage, Loyalty, and Sacrifice of the Patriots who offered and who gave their services, their lives and their all in defense of Liberty and the Nation's Honor during the World War."

Postcards: Mammoth Cave... again

Two more great Mammoth Cave postcards found at an antique shop recently. Both are unused. The left one reads:

Niagara Falls reproduced in onyx is 50 ft. wide and 75 ft. high. This huge formation on close examination resembles a series of massive, beautifully colored icicles, each one holding its own individuality from top to bottom. It is impossible to get a photograph that does full justice to this frozen display which surpasses by far anything yet discovered in cave formations.

Kentucky Fudge Co. Harrodsburg, KY.

http://www.kentuckyfudgecompany.com/



I have stopped by the Kentucky Fudge Company lately while in Harrodsburg. This is a great place to stop for lunch or a snack in a great area.


I think of this place as more of a sandwich and coffee place, but they have a nice menu of everything. I have had great ice cream here!


I had a white Reuben here that was perfect. I am craving one right now.



The staff is friendly, and the atmosphere is cozy. It is in an old pharmacy, and it is set up in a very similar way to the previous occupants. In fact there is a black and white photo in the front showing the shop a few decades earlier. It still looks very similar. The cases along the walls house many old pharmacy items. It is museum like in it's displays.

Postcards: Mammoth Cave

The top postcard reads on the back:
The Bridal Altar is one of the oldest and most historic features in Mammoth Cave. Many couples have been married at this spot."

There are no dates on these unused cards.

The Creme Coffee House Owensboro Kentucky

I have mentioned it before, but "The Creme" in Owensboro deserves more mention. It sets on the next block over from the museum, near the bridge and downtown.

The guys that have caringly put this relaxing hang out in downtown have done a service to the community. In my books it has done a lot for downtown.

They set up their shop in an old downntown building (when I have been there, they have had a photo album setting out showing the work and progress on putting the place together). The brick walls, the appropriate but not overwhelming art work, and the attractive bar area make this place perfect.

I have had some great coffee and cake here too.

I have found myself here on Friday and Saturday evenings, usually when I pop in town on a day or weekend trip, and I always leave happy. The atmosphere is calm, even if there is a bit of a crowd. They have that nice back patio area too. I am not going to put a picture up of that area, you have to see it.

Downtown Owensboro still looks good and has a lot of potential. I like walking around the area just to take in the history, and the dated buildings. The light and colors of this coffee shop really stand out. I hope the area gets some more businesses in, but this little coffee house alone is enough to get me to come downtown.

Check out my picture of The Creme.

Random Thoughts On Friday

I am sure every knows about the bear attack in the Red River Gorge. I have heard the guy is OK, and I am glad to hear that!
I remember seeing pictures of a bear in the Natural Bridge area I think from 2002. The photos were at the sky lift gift shop.
This morning, I heard that they think the bear has moved along to a different area.

I have been a fan of the show "Last Comic Standing" since it's first season. I enjoy catching comedians whenever I can. I have honestly seen hundreds of them live.
I am not easily offended. I am not very PC, and I am OK with almost any joke. You can make a hillbilly joke around me, that's OK.
For the first time in my life, I may have heard a comedian that touched on a subject that got to me in a negative way. On the show, a comedian referenced a very tragic event that happened in Louisville in 2007 to a young girl.
The audience laughed and the judges seemed OK with his performance. The show could have edited the joke from the show.
I am hoping that the producers of the show did not realize the comedian was referring to a real event.

On a positive note.... I think most of us have a nice long weekend planned. Go out and see a ball game or walk around a park!

Postcard: The Springs Motel, Lexington, KY.

Here is another cool postcard from the Springs Motel, which was just demolished across from Turfland Mall a few months ago.