Kansas City: BBQ, History and TOYS!

♪ ♪ I'm going to Kansas City, Kansas City here I come 

I'm going to Kansas City, ♪ Kansas City here I come 

They got some crazy lil' women there 

And I'm kind-da, sorta one. ♪♪

OK, OK, rest assured, I will eventually stop introducing cities with whatever local-centric songs pop into my head. I'm damned near sure I'll stop sometime prior to reaching the age of 95 so just hang on & consider yourself warned. Where was I? Oh yeah, yesterday we arrived in Kansas City late in the day, staying at a motel in the KC burbs. We got a late start today, as per usual, and decided to begin today's outdoor adventures with some geunine Kansas City BBQ. Our first choice was nixed because there were zero cars in the parking lot - wth, right? The 'winner' was Slap's BBQ.

It's Slap Yo' Mama Good

I chose a 'meat plate' with... with EVERYTHING

FOOD PORN! 

When I saw William's meat plate I WANTED those ribs!

Hungry & Pleased Nephie!

My eyes continue to be bigger than my stomach, but Wills helped me out with that. Once thoroughly stuffed, we headed out to take a driving tour of Kansas City, and to figure out how we'd spend the day.

As we drove, I told William how my paternal Grandfather, Will's paternal Great-grandfather William S. Miller, emigrated to Kansas City from Jamaica. It was in Kansas City that our ancestor was naturalized as an American citizen in 1899. It was also there he joined the Kansas Colored Infantry going on to become a Buffalo Soldier, and fight in the Spanish American War in Cuba.



I also told Wills how I always dreamed of investigating Gramp's history in Kansas City in the city's archives. So, when we accidentally drove in the vicinity of one of KC's public libraries, I went nuts! I was going to live the dream!

Kansas City Public Library

William S. Miller, where art thou?

So with the help of a kind librarian, we searched the city's microfiche files. Did we find any valuable info? Sadly, nope. But just because one's wishes are granted doesn't mean one's wishes meet all expectations. We didn't discover anything out Grand-dad. RATS! Maybe next my next dream...

Yet again, I was indulged, and our next stop was The National Museum of Miniatures and Toys. WHOO HOOOO!  Due to our late start at the museum, we had but a scant hour before the museum would close for the day, so we had to bussle.

National Miniature and Toy Museum

Wow... I was bummed about having so little time, so I took fifty zillion photos (yes, fifty zillion) so I can examine each & every little thing in future & at my leisure. So what photos to show off here, with myself thoroughly in love with every danged thing the museum has on display? UGH!

These detailed & amazing fans are about an inch wide

This grand castle room could fit in a shoe box

The toys were any toy you can think of, from Steiff stuffies to...

Recent and current modern toys

I show these Beatles dolls because the Beatles have accompanied us on this trip and I'm loving it. I could easily have spent a full day in this museum but perhaps I'll get another crack at it some day.

Loved this mini-Elizabethian dress & bedroom - sooooo intricate!

Oooo! I have some ensy waterfowl like these inch long
beauties myself. Wish I could have these too.

Totally enjoyed the Toy & Miniature Museum - why? Eh... because I love minis & love toys. Here's a good example why. I loved the mini ensy plains Indian toys/objects d'art below. In particular, note the plains horse in full regalia. 

Plains Indian minis at museum

Below is my own attempt at outfitting a Breyer toy horse in Nez Pierce tribe tack. See how I love minis?

My 'Steps High' mini appaloosa mare

 Visiting the museum showed me how tiny things can be made, is only limited by one's imagination.

Many Awesome Dolls

And show stopping Doll Houses

So I could go on for days about the doll houses but I won't. When our whirlwind tour was done, we visited the gift shop, where miraculously I bought not one item... that is only because there was nothing for sale that matched what I'd seen on display & for that, my pocketbook is grateful.

Next we drove around taking in the scenery. How fun, that after seeing everything in miniature, we first ran across something in HUMONGUS scale.

People admiring a gigantic shuttlecock on
the lawn at the Nelson-Atkin's Museum of Art

Parking, we walked the Art Museum's grounds.

It was fun telling each other our interpretation of the ground's many art sculptures
I see an Afghan hound playing the drums, how about you?

Another massive bit of art, a near one storey high creepy spider on a lawn! It carries a nest of white marble eggs and is said to represent... motherhood. 

Representing motherhood as in Morticia Adams perhaps

William captured this statue through a convenient wall tunnel thingie

Never suspected not-so-little Kansas City has so much statuary.

Bellerophon Taming Pegasus

Kansas City is proving to be way more interesting than I've ever suspected. Maybe Granddad William had good reasons for moving to this grand old city. And as the day's shadows grew longer, we continued exploring Kansas City into the night... more on that in the next post.

Bye Bye Chicago

After a leisurely start this morning, we drove on out, headed out, but first we had to get a few last looks at Chicago. I thought I'd add photos here from the past couple of days, just day or night pix from Chicago.

Just a mare and her foal, on top of a house.

Nice mural seen as we drove by...

Impressive monument near the Field Museum

The Planetarium

Didn't visit the aquarium but loved its Octopus

Hey, I drove past the Joffrey Ballet! Didn't attend, but I was there - sort of...

Beautiful downtown Chicago movie theater

They've got elevated trains in Chicago, just like NYC

OK, now I was miffed that I couldn't stay to see Potted Potter

William was slightly reluctant to tell me he'd been on line and discovered an occult-ish, alchemy-ish, wiccan sort of Bookstore, would I mind if we stopped by there? Aw... HELL no I would not mind, I LOVE to visit such shops!  We found the shop and probably spent a good hour or more, chatting with the shop's cool African-American owner, asking a thousand questions. While we were there I was interviewed by a young woman representing a local newspaper. She was accompanied by a photographer, to interview patrons of the shop. I had no great wisdom to impart to the world in general, but I did have bucks to lay down post interview for some goodies.

I purchased a pair of rings I fell stupid in love with. The top ring is a chakra ring, and the bottom is just beautiful with citrine quartz & either green tourmaline or peridot, I already forgot which.   The precious-ez...

William, lost his heart to a pair of one hundred year old tomes, written by Budge E.A. Wallis - The decrees of Memphis and Canopus. It tells the story of the Rosetta Stone, which broke the code of Egyptian hieroglyphics.













My parting photo as we left Chicago was this beyond belief cool mural of my beloved Cheshire Cat.

Yes... we're all Mad here! 

Second Night, Second City!

Portillo's was our dinner goal

The place sure as hell had enough food!

William, being sharp, has relatives stashed across the country. Earlier today he contacted his may-as-well-be-his-sibling girlie cousin Lynette. So on leaving the museum, we picked up the very pregnant Lynette, who had just completed a stellar day at work. Earlier today her co-workers threw her a Baby Shower. She was loaded down with shopping bags full of new-baby goodies. She recommend a nice spot for us to enjoy dinner together and we were OFF to din-din!

Zipping by the streets of Chicago by night...

Hey, there's one of these in Sacramento too!

Tableau above Portello entryway

Lynette & Portillo's was like WELCOME TO FOOD LAND! 

Think they have enough decor there Skippy?

Lynette and William - Cousins!

A Chicago style feast was ON. Chicago hotdogs which is a hot dog on a poppy seed bun and slathered with mustard, relish, freshly chopped onions, sliced red ripe tomatoes, kosher pickle and sport peppers. Is your stomach aching yet? Mine was! OK, not so, I had the HUMONGOUS Chicken Pecan Salad and fed my hot dog to everyone else because my old gut can't handle that 'stuff' any longer. Smelt good though!

After our eat-a-thon, we dropped Lynette off at the train station. Enjoyed meeting her & wish her hubby'd been able to join us. William says Lynette is the sibling/sister he never had, which is so sweet!

So it was getting late but we were not done by a long shot. William found something to occupy us with - SECOND CITY! I've heard about Second City for decades and it was a total hoot to get to attend it and see the crown jewel of improvisational theater. We laughed our arses off and there are plenty of side stories but I'll let you down easy here - no photos, no tales. Sorry. Try again tomorrow.

Where are the photos? You tell me! I took lots and lots of photos with my iPhone, and although I've erased nothing, I can't find them. Nope. The pix aren't stuffed into the wrong directory, they just seemed to disappear. Chicago must be haunted, damn it! Really... Oh well.

UPDATE:  Here's who Lynette snuck into Portellos under the ultimate hidden packaging: The new princess is aptly called 'Leia'. She is a darling little princess...