Another trip to Kansas and another L. Good thing there’s BBQ (sauce) to drown the football blues away. Leaving the X’s and O’s to others in the Dungeon, here are my trip thoughts and highlights. Double Points for me there for the entire game watching it. Brutal in a way only blowing a 35-7 lead at home could rival. Aside from the small section with family, I’d guess there were a few tens of UCF folks at the game, as expected.
Kansas City:
KC BBQ has been well covered, and well known in general, so it seems redundant to focus the trip there.
Harry S. Truman is buried east of KC and it’s well worth the time to visit. https://www.trumanlibrary.gov/education/student-resources/places/kansas-city
Kaw Point Park: The confluence of the Kansas (Kaw) and Missouri Rivers. Lewis and Clark, along with their Corps of Discovery, headed up the Missouri River in May of 1804, on an excursion lasting 28 days. https://kawpointpark.org/
KC Police Headquarters Museum: Located on the bottom floor at 700 Minnesota Ave, Kansas City, KS 66101. Kansas City had one of the first Police Helicopter Units in the country. It was in operation from 1971-1979. Although the first helicopter was dubbed "Firefly One", the one and only ever pilot adopted the tongue-in-cheek name "Porkchopper" as his call sign. The museum is open the first Friday of the month, great timing for this trip, but I believe it’s possible to enter other days. You’ll need an officer to walk you into the museum once you check in at the police station. If you’re lucky like me, you’ll get to experience some live action in the lobby…… https://www.kckpd.org/Engagement/KCKPD-Museum
Lawrence:
The campus setting is nice and a contrast to KSU in Manhattan where the football stadium rests between expansive parking lots. I preferred the stadium location in Lawrence, but obviously is in much need of the upcoming refurbish. The game day atmosphere lacked the same pizazz as Manhattan did. The same friendly midwestern feel, less hospitable, but nice enough. It’s as if the die-hard basketball KU fans don’t exactly know what to do with the recent football success. The overall full court welcoming attitude in Manhattan wasn’t fully on display in Lawrence. Basketball trumps all in Lawrence. Mass Street was nice with plenty of eateries and shops to pregame the day. It’s walking distance to the stadium (0.5 mile west from Mass Street) you just must get up and over a hill in the neighborhood if walking from Mass Street.
Food: I tried Papa Kenos Pizzeria and it was….fine. Think Lazy Moon large slices. They cut it in a grid pattern for bite size pieces which handled odd. I ate the Carnivore slice because that’s what a man’s man would order. At $8+ a slice, and mediocre taste, I’d pass and go to The Burger Stand. http://www.papakenos.com/papa-lawrence/2015/7/14/jkpdls5v75nzvgodijklx35nq1n864
Best decision of the day opting for ice cream before the expected football debacle. Sylas and Maddy’s Ice Cream is a must. The ice cream would rival Kelly’s or Small Batch in St. Pete. If you know you know. http://www.sylasandmaddysicecream.com/
Memorial Park Cemetery:
James Naismith - The inventor of basketball and founded the University of Kansas basketball program. I guess they are obligated to be good for this long. Gravesite and memorial: N 038 57.373 W 095 12.908
Oak Hill Cemetery across the street from Memorial Cemetery:
Forrest “Phog” Allen - Allen Fieldhouse and the men’s basketball coach for 39 years winning 24 conference championships and 3 national titles. A 3-year letterman under Naismith during his playing career. Gravesite: N 038 57.575 W 095 12.735
Prentice Gautt, the first black football player on scholarship at the University of Oklahoma in 1956, paving the way for many African American athletes. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prentice_Gautt Gravesite: N 038 57.536 W 095 12.871
Ernest Cosmos Quigly: For 31 years, 1913-1944, “Quig” served the National League with distinction as a field umpire, supervisor of officials, and public relations director. In over 40 years of officiating, Quigley estimated working some 5,400 baseball, 1,500 basketball, and 400 football games logging 100,000 miles a year in coast-to-coast travel. He was the second referee to be enshrined in the National Basketball Hall of Fame. His trademark call became world renown. “YOU can’t D-O-O-O that!” – a call invariably echoed by the spectators. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernest_C._Quigley Gravesite: N 038 57.555 W 095 12.918
Topeka:
Paradise Donuts: Amazing. https://paradisedonutstopeka.com/
The Burger Stand: Dry aged brisket burger was phenomenal. Pickles in brine, homemade sauces, sweet potato fries with fluff marshmallow cream sauce. https://www.burgerstandrestaurants.com/topeka-menu/
Atchison:
The Birthplace of Amelia Earhart and current museum. https://www.ameliaearhartmuseum.org/
The Sallie House: The most haunted house in Kansas’s most haunted town. https://visitatchison.com/highlight/sallie-house
Tribal Lands:
Lastly, you can’t visit Kansas without mentioning the many tribal lands that are nearby. I visited The Prairie Band, part of a larger Potawatomi tribe that was originally from the Great Lakes region. https://www.pbpindiantribe.com/about/. The Prairie Peoples Park offers a nice trail system if you're out that way. The Kickapoo Reservation is also close on the counterclockwise route just north of Topeka. www.ktik-nsn.gov. Throughout Kansas, there are numerous historical markers laying out the historical events that shaped our land and country.
Kansas City:
KC BBQ has been well covered, and well known in general, so it seems redundant to focus the trip there.
Harry S. Truman is buried east of KC and it’s well worth the time to visit. https://www.trumanlibrary.gov/education/student-resources/places/kansas-city
Kaw Point Park: The confluence of the Kansas (Kaw) and Missouri Rivers. Lewis and Clark, along with their Corps of Discovery, headed up the Missouri River in May of 1804, on an excursion lasting 28 days. https://kawpointpark.org/
KC Police Headquarters Museum: Located on the bottom floor at 700 Minnesota Ave, Kansas City, KS 66101. Kansas City had one of the first Police Helicopter Units in the country. It was in operation from 1971-1979. Although the first helicopter was dubbed "Firefly One", the one and only ever pilot adopted the tongue-in-cheek name "Porkchopper" as his call sign. The museum is open the first Friday of the month, great timing for this trip, but I believe it’s possible to enter other days. You’ll need an officer to walk you into the museum once you check in at the police station. If you’re lucky like me, you’ll get to experience some live action in the lobby…… https://www.kckpd.org/Engagement/KCKPD-Museum
Lawrence:
The campus setting is nice and a contrast to KSU in Manhattan where the football stadium rests between expansive parking lots. I preferred the stadium location in Lawrence, but obviously is in much need of the upcoming refurbish. The game day atmosphere lacked the same pizazz as Manhattan did. The same friendly midwestern feel, less hospitable, but nice enough. It’s as if the die-hard basketball KU fans don’t exactly know what to do with the recent football success. The overall full court welcoming attitude in Manhattan wasn’t fully on display in Lawrence. Basketball trumps all in Lawrence. Mass Street was nice with plenty of eateries and shops to pregame the day. It’s walking distance to the stadium (0.5 mile west from Mass Street) you just must get up and over a hill in the neighborhood if walking from Mass Street.
Food: I tried Papa Kenos Pizzeria and it was….fine. Think Lazy Moon large slices. They cut it in a grid pattern for bite size pieces which handled odd. I ate the Carnivore slice because that’s what a man’s man would order. At $8+ a slice, and mediocre taste, I’d pass and go to The Burger Stand. http://www.papakenos.com/papa-lawrence/2015/7/14/jkpdls5v75nzvgodijklx35nq1n864
Best decision of the day opting for ice cream before the expected football debacle. Sylas and Maddy’s Ice Cream is a must. The ice cream would rival Kelly’s or Small Batch in St. Pete. If you know you know. http://www.sylasandmaddysicecream.com/
Memorial Park Cemetery:
James Naismith - The inventor of basketball and founded the University of Kansas basketball program. I guess they are obligated to be good for this long. Gravesite and memorial: N 038 57.373 W 095 12.908
Oak Hill Cemetery across the street from Memorial Cemetery:
Forrest “Phog” Allen - Allen Fieldhouse and the men’s basketball coach for 39 years winning 24 conference championships and 3 national titles. A 3-year letterman under Naismith during his playing career. Gravesite: N 038 57.575 W 095 12.735
Prentice Gautt, the first black football player on scholarship at the University of Oklahoma in 1956, paving the way for many African American athletes. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prentice_Gautt Gravesite: N 038 57.536 W 095 12.871
Ernest Cosmos Quigly: For 31 years, 1913-1944, “Quig” served the National League with distinction as a field umpire, supervisor of officials, and public relations director. In over 40 years of officiating, Quigley estimated working some 5,400 baseball, 1,500 basketball, and 400 football games logging 100,000 miles a year in coast-to-coast travel. He was the second referee to be enshrined in the National Basketball Hall of Fame. His trademark call became world renown. “YOU can’t D-O-O-O that!” – a call invariably echoed by the spectators. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernest_C._Quigley Gravesite: N 038 57.555 W 095 12.918
Topeka:
Paradise Donuts: Amazing. https://paradisedonutstopeka.com/
The Burger Stand: Dry aged brisket burger was phenomenal. Pickles in brine, homemade sauces, sweet potato fries with fluff marshmallow cream sauce. https://www.burgerstandrestaurants.com/topeka-menu/
Atchison:
The Birthplace of Amelia Earhart and current museum. https://www.ameliaearhartmuseum.org/
The Sallie House: The most haunted house in Kansas’s most haunted town. https://visitatchison.com/highlight/sallie-house
Tribal Lands:
Lastly, you can’t visit Kansas without mentioning the many tribal lands that are nearby. I visited The Prairie Band, part of a larger Potawatomi tribe that was originally from the Great Lakes region. https://www.pbpindiantribe.com/about/. The Prairie Peoples Park offers a nice trail system if you're out that way. The Kickapoo Reservation is also close on the counterclockwise route just north of Topeka. www.ktik-nsn.gov. Throughout Kansas, there are numerous historical markers laying out the historical events that shaped our land and country.
