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Guide to Kansas City, USA - Missouri
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Click to go to Flight Prices for Kansas City
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Kansas CityKansas City is known for its pride and has long-held the self-appointed title as "Heart of America". Though it's not in the exact center of the US, it is home to such a diverse population and such a great number of attractions that one would presume it to hold status as one of the top destinations in the country. There is good to come out of its un-frenzied atmosphere, however. Walk up and down Main Street and see commercial America without being bombarded by vendors hawking faux designer handbags. Restaurants serving fine cuisine here are more open to impulse patrons, unlike NYC or LA, where establishments are requiring more and more reservations. With so many architectural accoutrements (fountains, etc), you'll feel like you're getting the best of the world all in one place. Only Rome is home to more working fountains than Kansas City, and as a result, second place has attained the nickname of "City of Fountains". History is also a strong presence in city activities, where annual events run the gamut from the fur trade to the Civil War. If you enjoy a city with a solid bearing, broad history, and distinct colonial flavor topped by modernism, Kansas City is for you.
When to go:
Humidity is the theme of summertime in Kansas City, when rain soaks the landscape to the flood point and daily temperatures in the 80s and 90s certainly don't alleviate the discomfort associated with outdoor activities. On the other hand, winters a frigid, and though freezing conditions only occur during the evening hours, snowfall is quite common. This means you're left with either spring or autumn to visit. May we suggest spring? The city's landscape isn't exactly a rolling wonderland of nature intertwined with man-made megaliths, and autumn only has colorful trees going for it. Spring gives you blooming flowers, fresh garden salads, and a rejuvenated folk that are ceaselessly prepping the city for another wonderful stretch of warm, sunny months.
Getting there and around:
Kansas City International Airport sure does cater to flights coming in and out of the US, but only those from either Mexico or Canada. Flights from Europe arrive at New York or Chicago before heading over to the central United States, but on arrival things get much simpler. The terminal runs very efficiently, and you'll be out the door hailing a cab or boarding a bus on your way to the city in an average of 30 minutes. Add the 20-minute ride to your hotel, and you're set until your departure. The shuttle bus is the best way of getting into town in terms of cost, but after settling down, we highly recommend scouting for car rental agencies as the city is much more attuned to the average driver than public transit vehicles. The drawback to the city's layout is all attractions are spaced out to the extent that walking to and from destinations on one's itinerary would detract from the overall experience, and furthermore, detract from one's schedule.
Attractions:
The Arabia Steamboat Museum is a fascinating permanent exhibition that highlights various foreign items recovered from the sunken Arabia in the Missouri River. Less than two decades ago these items were gathered together to this single site and today thousands of visitors enjoy history told through buttons and coffeepots. A former train station, Union Station/Science City is a mix of architecture and chemistry experiments. Inside this vast space is a vault of 50+ hands-on demonstrations that range from taming atoms to sighting Jupiter in the space center. Restaurants and shops are part of the complex as well.
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