31. Kansas

Month: April 2017

Location: Wichita

It was the “Easter Weekend”, and since I have no family related activities, it was the perfect time for me to get away.  I picked Kansas, though I was struggling, since the city that bears the State’s name actually resides in Missouri….for most parts.  I debated going to Kansas City and staying on the Kansas side, so as to be able to visit the attractions on the Missouri side of the river.  But that felt wrong and the one thing that I had decided before starting this journey was that I would not do this just to “check a box”.  I really do want to explore this land and if that took me to places that are not that well known, then so be it.  So I decided to go to Wichita, Kansas.  People often wonder why I am visiting these places and Kansas was no exeption. But hey, if it was good enough for Dorothy, then it was fine with me!

Welcome indeed

I had landed in Wichita once before.  Many years ago I was on my way to Dallas when the pilot announced that we had run out of fuel and so had to make a quick stop in Wichita.  Yeah, that really happened.  But all that I had seen was the tarmac as we took on the fuel.  The first thing that struck me when I entered the terminal this time was how clean it was.  While by no means a busy airport, it is spotless and immaculately maintained.  As I took a cab into the city, the first thing that the driver said to me was, “You must have something really important to do in Wichita this weekend”.  Well, it wasn't the first time that I have heard something similar during my travels to small towns.  He was however a nice chap and we talked about his family and how he was trying to convince his college bound daughter to buy a more reliable car rather than a flashier one.

Waiting room at the 'Do Dah Diner'

I dropped off my bag and as is my custom, set out to find some brunch.  It was a nice day and I walked through mostly empty streets to a place called ‘Do Dah Diner’.  There was a short wait, which is always a good sign that the locals approve. It did look like a typical diner, with a waiting room that displayed souvenirs such as coffee mugs and t-shirts.  However, what I found most interesting was that amongst these typical items found in a diner, there was also a showcase selling specialized herbal beauty and healthcare products.  Well, I guess they do cater to all sorts of clientele!  I got a seat at the counter, right next to the kitchen, meaning that I could see all of the goodies that were coming out.  The food was as good as I had expected and I was ready to begin.

Downtown Artwork

The hotel had given me a map with all of the attractions and I went to the one nearest to me…which turned out to be a “Hunting store”…with lot of guns.  Well, far from me to comment on the quality of that merchandise and so I went to the next building which was called ‘Kansas Sports Hall Of Fame’.  It wasn’t much, being a single room full of names and memorabilia from all the famous college and professional athletes to have either come from Kansas, or gone to school in the State.  It didn’t take me long to walk through it, after which I proceeded towards the main downtown area. The broad sidewalks were empty, though they had fun bronze sculptures of kids playing or small animals etc.  Some of them tell a story and it was a nice addition to lend character to a place.  I also saw a small park with some “Pop-up Food Trucks” and if I hadn’t been full from my brunch, I would have definitely stopped at the “Cupcake” station which advertised all sorts of flavors.

The magnificient 'Wichita-Sedgwick
County Historical Museum'

My next destination was a place called ‘Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum’ and from outside it looked like a charming building made of stone and with spires as on a manor.  The inside was equally beautiful and the lady at the ticket window advised me to start on the top floor and work my way down.  The museum told stories about Wichita and how important this city has been over time.  For example, I had not known about its significance in Aviation or the fact that the “Chisolm Trail” passed through here, where all the cattle from Texas were herded northwards.  There were rooms that recreated some houses from the past as well as well as other businesses.  It was a nice way to learn more about this place and its culture.

A cafe inside a bus

As I walked towards my next destination, I saw that in the park was now a “Double-decker” bus that had been converted into a “Pop-up café”.  After seeing it, I wonder why no one else had thought of doing a similar thing elsewhere.  I was going to the “Old Town” section of Wichita and with its brick and cobblestone streets; I knew that I would like it.  I was looking for a place called ‘Museum of World Treasures’, and it turned out to be one of the most interesting museums that I have seen in terms of its diversity.  I started on the first floor, and it looked like a typical “Natural History” museum for kids, with “Egyptian Tombs and Mummies” as well as large scale Dinosaurs.  Then I went to the second floor which had rooms and areas dedicated to all of the wars that the US has fought, starting from the “Revolutionary War”, to the “Civil War” and the two “World Wars” and finally “Korean War” and the “Vietnam War”.  As I walked through the sections, I found them to be a fascinating read and look into the history, especially the section on “WWII” which was a detailed chronology of the events, right from the end of “WWI”, and included a year by year account of what was happening in Europe as well as on the Pacific front.

It wasn't just a museum for Children

However, the reason I call this museum interesting, is because most of the material was not age-appropriate, going into gory details of holocaust and genocide that was committed during these wars.  And I mean stories in graphic details, photographs and statistics.  So while the first floor had made me think that this was a museum for children, by no means was this something that they should see.  Now, I am all for teaching kids about some of the atrocities from our history so that they learn from the mistakes of our past, but this may be a little too much for someone who is coming here to see a Dinosaur made out of plaster.  However, I felt that my time had been well spent and I particularly enjoyed a section which chronologically took visitors through the history and stories of all the Presidents of  the US, starting with George Washington, right up to Trump.  Plus, there was a piece of paper containing handwriting from each of them, ranging from a note to their signature.  Now that is something that the kids should see.

'Old Town'

I had not expected that I would spend so much time here, but I was glad that I had done so.  The evening was upon us and that meant that my next set of activities were ready to commence, starting with a nearby place called ‘Mort’s Cigar and Martini Bar’.  Now, there weren’t many people on the streets, but this place was buzzing for sure.  While it was clear from the title that this place was known for its Martini’s, I wasn’t expecting to find as many types as I did on the menu.  The one thing that did have me concerned was the word “Cigar”, since the last thing I needed was to be sitting around smokers.  Fortunately I did not see any indication of that and after a well-made drink called “007 Martini” – why not – I moved to my next destination.

I was the only customer in 'Revolution Lounge'

If I was to live in Wichita, I would do so in “Old Town”, with all of its restaurants, bars and boutique shops.  I went to a place called ‘Wheat State Distilling’, which was – as the name would suggest – a distillery.  I asked about their products and seeing my curiosity, was presented with 7 samples to taste.  Yep, it was going to be that kind of evening.  While the earlier place was more lively and enclosed, this one was more relaxed and wide, and I liked it a lot.  I was waiting for 7 pm because that’s when the next place on my list, called ‘Revolution Lounge’ was opening, and I was literally at the door when the proprietor opened it from the inside, perhaps surprising him to no end.  The interior resembled a hybrid between a Sports Bar with games and a night club and something told me that were I to come back at midnight, I would encounter “Strobe lights” and a fog machine.  I was the only person in there and the bartender told me that I should indeed come back later on in the night when there wouldn’t be an inch of free space.  In any case, he made me a drink called “Go F*** Yourself”, because that name he assured me was appropriate for people ordering after midnight.

My kind of cocktail lounge

My final stop prior to dinner was in a place called ‘Docum’, reputed to be the top spot for cocktails in Wichita.  It was below the restaurant I was going to later and so was very convenient.  As soon as I had entered it, I knew it was my kind of place.  It was dark and elegant and would give any top-notch cocktail lounge in Chicago a run for its money.  In fact, they take their ambience so seriously that they requested that I turn off the flashlight on my phone when I couldn’t read the menu.  One of the great pleasures of my travels is making friends with people in places like these and this was no exception.  I met an older couple who was on their way back to Des Moines Iowa, from their winter home in Scottsdale and I told them about my travels and how I was intending to come to Iowa next year.  The lady, whose name was Debbie, told me that I had to look them up when there and since she visits Chicago for work, I said the same to her.  It was really fun meeting them and another reason why I think people should travel more.  I went upstairs to a restaurant called ‘Siena Tuscan’, and it was as good as its reputation.  After dinner though the option to go back to ‘Revolution Lounge’ was tempting, it had been a long day and I was ready for bed.

Who doesn't love trains...

The next morning was pleasant as I walked back towards “Old Town”.  My first stop was a place called “Espresso To Go Go”, which was a cute coffee shop run by a husband and wife duo.  I sat at a window for a bit and then moved on to the place next door, ‘Great Plain’s Transportation Museum’.  This is a museum dedicated to trains, and not miniature models, but full sized locomotives and carriages.  Wichita, being in the center of the country was ideally situated for trains transporting good from coast to coast and north to south.  Visitors could walk through some of the huge locomotive engines and some of the commercial cars – none were for passengers – and I spent the next 30 minutes exploring.   Before leaving I talked with the staff members and told them about the museum I had visited in Baltimore and we also discussed the good old days of train travel.

...or a street market

As I walked through the streets of “Old Town”, I came across a variety store that one typically finds in small towns – the store where you can find almost any old antique or such item in a corner.  I saw what looked like a “stuffed cat” and upon closer inspection found it to be a real one.  She was the store mascot and her owners said that I should pet her, which I did to her immense pleasure.  In fact, when I stopped she was “meowing” her displeasure and though I could have done it all day, I had other things to do.  I came across a “Saturday market” in the lot outside the ‘Museum of World Treasures’, with local farmers and shop keepers selling fresh produce, food and other products.  I walked through it and continued my exploration, soon finding a beautiful “town square” lined up with restaurants and shops, and with a cinema hall at one end.  If I was to live in Wichita, this would be the location.

Love the art musuem

Last night I had seen a restaurant called ‘Eggcetra’, and I stopped there for some brunch – no surprises given the name.  I called an ‘Uber’ to go to my next destination which was ‘Wichita Art Museum’, and was picked up by a guy driving a “Dodge Charger”.  When I commented on the car, he gave me a history of his “Muscle Cars” and told me about the next one that he was planning on getting; in fact, he made me watch a 5 minute video of the same when we arrived at the museum!  The art museum was quite good and had two main exhibits; “The Poetry of Nature: Hudson River School Landscapes” and “Storytelling”.  I love landscapes and with a title called “Poetry of Nature”, I was hooked.  The museum had two main floors and after visiting both of them, I was off to my next stop which was less than a mile away.

The streets of 'Old Cowtown Museum'

I walked over to ‘The Old Cowtown Museum’ which is, well an old “Cowboy Town” from mid-19^th century.  And we are not talking about a couple of buildings.  This is a full-fledged town spanning several buildings over many blocks.  A I collected my map from the “gift shop”, I saw that it would take me some time if I wanted to visit all of the buildings.  The lady told me that around 3 pm there was going to be a “gun battle” outside the saloon.  Say what!  I started exploring the town, visiting the buildings which ranged from residences to workshops and barns to commercial properties such as a grocery store.  Then I turned on what seemed to have been the town’s main street and saw a large group of people assembled for the showdown.

"High Noon" on the main street

We were asked to assemble on one side of the street while people dressed in period costumes came over to give us safety instructions.  They showed us that while the bullets were made of rubber, at close quarters they could do some serious damage, as was evident by them firing at a soda can which was obliterated.  The storyline for the show was some dimwitted bank robbers who come into town, rob a bank and are taken down by the women, with almost everyone in the show ending up “dead”.  While it wasn’t quite Gary Cooper and “High Noon”, it was fun.  I continued visiting the other buildings and there were a lot of them. It was interesting to see something from over a 150 year’s come alive in front of you through these businesses.

Another room, another escape!

I took a ride back to town and since I had some time before my next activity, stopped at a bar called ‘Barleycorn’ and while I was the only person there at that time, I learnt that this was one of the more popular places for Live music and gets full at night.  My next activity for the evening was something that I have done a lot during my travels, play an “Escape Room” game.  It wasn’t too far from where I was, though like other’s it was in sparsely inhabited, more “industrial” looking space.  I arrived there to find that I was to be paired with 3 other couples and they were a friendly lot.  The storyline for this game involved a serial killer and within the room were several gory scenes and props.  However, we worked well as a team and managed to escape with some time left on the clock.  This continued my successful trend for the past few attempts and as always, I had a great time with my team.

The movie theatre in the 'Old Town'

I had enjoyed my time at ‘Wheat State Distilling’ last night and since I was in the neighborhood, I went back there.  I also wanted to visit the bar at ‘Hotel at Old Town’, especially since they had a jazz musician playing tonight.  But as soon as I stepped inside, the place and vibe reminded me of some of the Senior Centers that I had volunteered at and so I beat a hasty retreat!  Earlier today, while exploring the place I had come across a place called ‘Sabor Latin Grill’ and I stopped there for a bit before ending my night at ‘River City Brewery’.  It wasn’t that late, but it was time for me to call it a night.  I called an ‘Uber’ and the driver was listening to some “Classic Rock” which led to a discussion between us on our favorite bands and we ended up talking about ‘Pink Floyd’ in my hotel’s foyer for 15 minutes.  If nothing else, this trip had introduced me to some fantastic ‘Uber’ drivers.

'The Keeper of the Plains'

The next morning was overcast; though sitting outside on the hotel patio overlooking the river was too good of an opportunity to pass.  I then set off along the “Riverwalk” headed towards one of Wichita’s most famous landmarks, ‘The Keeper of the Plains’.  Built at the confluence of two of Wichita’s rivers, this is a 44 ft. “Native American” statue that celebrates the art and culture of local tribes.  The area around the sculpture has been developed like a mini garden and during summer months, on weekends, something known as “ring of fire” burns around the statue.  No wonder this is known as one of the “8 Wonders of Kansas”.

Nearby was Wichita’s “Science Center”, called ‘Exploration Place’.  I have tried to visit similar museums wherever I have travelled, and this was no exception.  I was one of the first to arrive as soon as it opened for the morning and it was quite small, meaning that I was done very soon.  It did however have some good exhibits, one where kids could “design” their own planes – once again paying homage to Wichita’s aviation history – and had a splendid model train set.  In fact, it was so well done that I spent a lot of time in that room, following the various path’s the trains took and admiring the detailed scenery that had been created.  I had also got a ticket for an “Omnimax” show and after that, I was ready for my final meal in the city.

The model train at 'Exploration Place'

I was going to a place called ‘Newport Grill’, which was away from downtown, though it was known for its "Sunday brunch".  So it hadn’t been easy getting a reservation and with my ‘Uber’ driver getting lost, I arrived just in time.  The restaurant was located in an open mall with a small pond in the back that made for a beautiful setting.  There were a lot of well-dressed families out for their “Easter brunch” who eyed me suspiciously, being by myself on this day.  But I enjoyed the food and then since I had some time, walked around the mall, even stopping at the local ‘Barnes & Noble’, which is always a great way to pass the time. 

It really is a pretty town

I called an ‘Uber’ to take me back to the hotel and was picked up by a gentleman who told me that Wichita was one of the best places to live and a well-kept secret.  Based on the last couple of days, I couldn’t disagree.  He mentioned how the economy was doing well and about the cultural activities that happen in the city.  In fact, the place were, hosts outdoor concerts during summer, which are attended by thousands.  I picked up my bag and took the shuttle to the airport.  It had been a good visit, where I had met a lot of really nice people.  Dorothy had learned a lesson about home and family, and had been glad to return back to her farm in Kansas.  While I was going back to my city, there is no denying that Kansas has it beat when it comes to being called someone’s home.