Daytrippin'

By Susan Melgren

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Here’s my Fall Break dilemma: I can’t afford to go anywhere fun, and even if I could, I’m too cheap to spend a lot of money on entertainment. But if I sit around Lawrence for two extra days staring at my unusually bare walls and frequenting the same spots I have for three years, I’m going to lose it. I need a break. And a cheap one at that.

Sound familiar? Luckily, we don’t have to travel far from Lawrence to find entertainment and we don’t have to spend a fortune doing it. One weekend in September, I took two day trips to places only an hour from Lawrence, and I found a variety of things to do: shopping, hiking, good nightlife, interesting art and even a little bit of history.

Zona Rosa

After fighting traffic on Band Day and problems with my car (the speedometer frequently plummets to zero for no reason and the gears resist shifting from first to second), my friend Allison and I hit the road for KC. First stop: Zona Rosa shopping center.

Although the Legends is closer to Lawrence, a trip to Zona Rosa in north Kansas City, Mo., is well worth the extra 20 or 30-minute drive. You can find stores here you won’t find in Lawrence, such as Victoria’s Secret, Forever 21 and Men’s Wearhouse, but Zona Rosa’s charm isn’t in its shops. It’s in the layout and architecture.

Built in 2004, Zona Rosa is modeled after the original Zona Rosa, a business and entertainment district in Mexico City. When the second phase of development is complete this fall, it will cover about 500,000 square feet, almost twice as much area as the Plaza.

Shopping here feels like taking a step into another city, where life moves a little slower. Benches and street lamps adorn wide sidewalks. Interspersed among the stores are parks. Green lawns surround fountains and invite me to relax for a bit. Because the architecture of each store differs from that of its neighbor, Zona Rosa evokes days when shopping was downtown on Main Street. It has a nostalgic feel to it, but with a modern twist. Big awnings cover large glass doors and eloquently dressed mannequins grace the expansive window displays of storefronts.

Allison and I arrive at Zona Rosa mid-afternoon and park in one of its 2,700 spaces. It even has some metered, street-side parking, the proceeds of which go to six charities each year. During October, money will go to Sheffield Place, a housing program for homeless mothers and children.

Neither Allison nor I feel like shopping, so we casually stroll in and out of stores window shopping, laughing at a sequined skirt and intently studying what appear to be black leather leggings. Even though it’s a Saturday afternoon and the weather is nearly perfect—75 degrees, blue sky, puffy white clouds—Zona Rosa doesn’t feel crowded, even with lots of people there.

Before we leave, Allison and I stop at the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. After oogling the glass displays of fudge and sampling Pop Rock Bark, I settle on a frozen banana. The rich chocolate melts smoothly and contrasts nicely with the simple, sweet taste of the banana. It’s well worth the shame of eating so phallic a treat in public. Allison orders a Tiger Butter Caramel Apple, and we enjoy our treats in another of Zona Rosa’s parks. It’s the perfect ending to a relaxing afternoon.

Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art

The Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art sits in a neighborhood a few blocks east of the Plaza near the Nelson-Atkins Museum and the Kansas City Art Institute. It opened in 1994 and houses 10 to 12 special exhibitions a year as well as a permanent collection, which includes the art of Jackson Pollock, Georgia O’Keefe and others.

The museum sits on a sloping, meticulously manicured lawn. Random sculptures dot the grass: a depressed-looking clown, an oversized spindly-legged spider. The building is an impressive architectural structure. In the atrium, polished black tile floors reflect 22-foot high walls that lead to a skylight. The museum is unnaturally quiet, but the silence is alive. Whispers and the sound of movement reverberate off the walls and floors.

We turn off our cell phones and walk to the first wing. It’s massive and quiet. Light-wood floors stretch across the room, broken by a few pieces: a reposed horse called Ahulani by Deborah Butterfield, an arrangement of black orbs by Robert Chambers called Ethanol and two yellow-cream walls that hold more art. In the middle of the room I find my favorite piece. Twenty-one butterflies sit atop slender silver poles that lead down to aluminum boxes. With a click and a whir, tiny wires connected to the butterflies move their wings up and down. Slowly. Methodically. Rhythmically. Mesmerized by the soothing motion and the nearly inaudible sound, I can’t help but stare.

The museum has quite a variety of pieces: paintings, sculptures, prints, photographs and installations. The permanent collection includes more than a thousand pieces, although not all are displayed.

Kemper provides an enjoyable experience for everyone, not just for art lovers. The silence of the museum and the beauty of the art stimulate the mind and calm the soul.

Power and Light District

Kemper was relaxing, but after being silent for so long, I needed something loud. Something flashy and exciting. So Allison and I headed for the Power and Light District.

The Power and Light District packs a lot of restaurants, bars and shopping into eight blocks next to the Sprint Center in downtown Kansas City, Mo. We spend most of the evening in KC Live!, one block of enclosed nighttime entertainment. Parking was relatively easy to find, close to the entertainment and only $2.

KC Live! has a variety of themed bars and restaurants, most of which are 21 to enter. After having our IDs checked, Allison and I walk into a partially covered courtyard consisting of two levels and 14 entertainment venues. The combination of the enclosure, the lights, the noise and beer makes KC Live! feel like a circus or a giant party. At one end of the massive courtyard, a tall video screen hangs above a stage. From there to the other end of the courtyard—nearly a block long—patrons stand around tables, buy beer from a Budweiser kiosk and lounge on deep benches covered in thick black cushions that protrude from stone walls.

We poke our heads briefly into Lucky Strike Lanes, a swanky retro-themed bowling lounge that takes up half a block. We also hover outside Howl at the Moon, a dueling piano bar that hosts a band featuring—you guessed it—two pianos, as well as a drummer and several saxophonists.

Allison and I switch our hunt from bars to burgers and cross the street to eat at Chef Burger, a locally-owned burger joint. Although the menu at Chef Burger sports a variety of interesting creations, I order the original Chef Burger: two thick patties of high-quality beef nestled between a toasted, greasy bun. It’s terribly messy, but the Chef Burger is one of the best burgers I’ve ever had. The restaurant also has a variety of spiked shakes.

Appetite sated, we return to KC Live! where they check our IDs yet again. (Be warned: this is definitely not for the under-21 crowd. I had my ID checked at least five times in an hour and a half. Maybe it’s because I look 16. Regardless, they’re tight with security.)

We check out PBR Big Sky Bar next, a country-western bar that features a mechanical bull with a freakishly realistic head. Next to the bull ring a dance floor where couples twirl around and sing loudly to the deafening music played through the entire bar. I have to yell at Allison if we want to talk, but I find myself enjoying the atmosphere—even though I don’t like country music.

Weston Bend State Park

For my second day of day tripping, I drag along my boyfriend, Nick. We head northeast on I-435 and take exit 22 for Weston and Parkville.

Right away the road starts to curve with the natural shape of the land, weaving around hills, plunging into valleys and cresting over hilltops through a densely wooded countryside. The road eventually straightens out and for most of the journey we follow the straight line of the railroad tracks on our left.

It takes about an hour to get to Weston Bend State Park from Lawrence. As we pull into the turnoff, my excitement mounts. The temperature is in the 70s again, and it’s a good day to hike. We roll the car windows down and breathe in the outdoors.

We stop first at the scenic overlook. From high atop a hill, we can see the murky brown Missouri River cutting a ribbon through the hilly scenery. It’s a view Lewis and Clark might have shared on their travels through the area.

On our way back to the car we pick up a map of the park’s eight hiking trails. After failing to find the first trail I picked, Nick and I decide instead to try the North Ridge Trail, which is a total of two miles long.

We turn back about 15 minutes in. After ducking under half a dozen spider webs (and walking through twice that many), we’ve had enough. But for a more adventurous person I would recommend this trail. The only noise you’ll hear is the hum and chirp of bugs and the rustling of the wind through the trees. Tiny frogs jump at our feet as we follow the winding trail though a dense clump of woods. Several minutes into the hike we even found some abandoned forestry machinery, rusted from age and neglect. The trail has a derelict feeling, but in a good way.

After lunching on slightly smushed PB&Js and jalapeno chips, Nick and I set off down the Harpst Valley Trail, which is better maintained and thus more enjoyable to hike on. The path is smooth and narrow, interrupted occasionally by a random tree.

The trail descends into a valley. The wooded land sleepily slopes away from the path. At times the path narrows and the undergrowth brushes my knees and tickles my shin. I stop every once in a while to take pictures of the caterpillars and purple flowers we find on our way.

Alone in the woods, it’s easy to collect your thoughts and de-stress after a long week.

Weston, Missouri

Two minutes north of Weston Bend State Park is Weston, Mo. In the mid-1800s, when the Missouri River used to pass by the town, Weston was the second-most important port on the river and boasted a population larger than that of Kansas City at the time. Today, the Missouri River has changed course and Weston has only 2,000 residents, but the town’s history still plays a major role in its business.

Nick and I spent most of our time on Main Street. The major portion of Main runs just a few blocks long, but it’s packed with stores and restaurants, many of historical value. McCormick Country Store holds the remnants of a large whiskey distillery founded in Weston in 1856. The distillery, two miles outside town, no longer makes whiskey, but it does create blended drinks such as ready-to-drink margaritas. The store offers a sampling bar where you can try any of the liquor before purchasing it.

Because the shops in Weston are small and locally owned, they have a comfortable, homey feel. I enjoyed 5B&Co, a candle store that offers hand-poured candles in more than two hundred scents like Vanilla, Chocolate-Covered Strawberries and Clean Undies. Nick was fascinated with Main Street Galleria, a corner store with an old-fashioned soda fountain that sells ice cream amd homemade fudge.

We ate dinner at American Bowman Restaurant, which is connected to Weston’s popular O’Malley’s pub. Heavy wooden tables, mismatched chairs and oil-burning lamps make me feel like I’m eating at an old-fashioned pub or inn. The restaurant boasts a number of traditional Irish dishes such as Beef in Guinness and Ham and Cheese Pye. After dinner, as we slipped into a food coma, Nick and I both rave about how delicious the dinner was, especially the cheddar ale soup.

“It’s just a sleepy Sunday afternoon,” Nick says as we leave the restaurant.

I suspect it’s like this most days. Because Weston is small, it has a relaxed, comfortable feel to it. A quaint historical town, Weston is a wonderful getaway for a weekend. If you want to stay overnight, the town offers a number of cozy bed and breakfasts, as well as a historical hotel on Main Street.

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