A Night in Kansas City

While in Kansas City for a conference, I explored the 18th & Vine “jazz district” with two colleagues. We travelled seven minutes away from the conference hotel, yet this area was a world away from the downtown conference in authenticity. We had arrived in the real Kansas City.

Once in the right district, we decided to walk two blocks to a local joint, Arthur Bryant’s Barbeque. Quoting from their site:

“Arthur Bryant, the legendary King of Ribs, is the most renowned ‘barbequer’ in history. He created a unique sauce and style that has attracted the likes of former Presidents Harry Truman, Jimmy Carter, and Barack Obama to his restaurant.”

New-Yorker Author, Calvin Trillin declared that, “…the single best restaurant in the world is Arthur Bryant’s Barbecue at 18th & Brooklyn in Kansas City”.

We arrived to stand in a long line (a good sign!) in order to approach the cafeteria-style ordering windows. We noted pictures of both Obama, but also John McCain and others. When we reached the first carver, we were coached on how much meat to order (lots!) and not to order the baked potato (it doesn’t exist!). In a unique twist, they tried to frost my plastic cup for beer.

The meat was exceptional, especially the ribs and the turkey. The cost was remarkably low. We chowed down at white formica tables with plastic utensils. Three special sauces were on the table in squeeze bottles, and I liked the “original” the best, because it did not taste like a supermarket sauce. Click any image for mouthwatering, larger photos. What a feast!

After eating so much, we strolled down the broken sidewalks, vacant-looking warehouses, and empty streets back to 18th and Vine. The American Jazz Museum is there, but closed at this hour. Outside the jazz museum, however, we could take in the sidewalk medallions honoring famous artists. The jazz museum runs a club called The Blue Room, and for a mere $10 each, we took in a great show by “The Jazz Disciples”—a very talented local group.

To our surprise, another show awaited us when we left the Blue Room. Police car lights were flashing and I was worried. But it turned out to be a parade of motorcycles, classic cars, and other vehicles down 18th and Vine. At the corner, people were sitting in a parked delivery truck, which had become a “mobile cigar bar.” It all made for a memorable saturday night in KC.

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