Where did you leave your heart?
Let's start with my least favorite place: The Plaza.
The Plaza was the first shopping mall in America and is distinguished by its Spanish mission-style architecture, ornate tile work, and elegant towers. The Country Club Plaza is also home to many of Kansas City's countless fountains. Including the one of the frog spitting on the boy's penis. Yeah. No joke.
The American Century Towers - just off The Plaza, and two of my favorite buildings in the city.
What I have come to call the Cheesecake Tower. Contained in the tower is a bell that rings every quarter hour. It is made of cheesecake. Okae, that's not true. Actually, it just sits atop the same building that the Cheesecake Factory is in.
This is what Plaza living looks like, provided you can afford a $250,000 condominium.
A view of Nichols Road from a small courtyard across from the movie theater.
A view of 47th Street from uh...the sidewalk.
Now on to my neighborhood, which consists of a large compilation of differently named hills - Dutch Hill (that's me), Union Hill, and Hospital Hill. At the base of these hills, to the west, is Crown Center, aptly named for the Hallmark Headquarters located just across the street on Grand Avenue.
The main entrance to Crown Center.
A view of the skating rink from a hill across from Crown Center, in the Hallmark Courtyard.
A view of the infamous Crown Center Fountains. The fountains are utilized by citizens as a mini-water park in the summer. The spurts of water are also synchronized to music by the Kansas City orchestra in an hourly water show.
The child ponders, "Should I get wet?"
"Screw it. It's hot."
Frolic, child - FROLIC!
A section of The Link over Pershing. The Link is a glass walkway structure built about 40+ years ago to connect Crown Center to the surrounding hotels. In the 1970s, this section of The Link collapsed, killing several people. It has since been rebuilt to be more sturdy, and extended to reach Union Station.
The Link over Grand Avenue.
The Baptist Church at 27th and Gillham - I don't know why I like it. I just do.
It's like beams from heaven and shit, yo.
This is what you might see if you look up.
A pleasant summer day.
Sunset.
...still sunset.
29th Street.
The news tower on 31st street, 2 blocks south.
Now let's meet some people!
This is smoking guy.
He hits it...
...he blows it that way...
...and he gazes this way.
This is a very nice gay guy who works at Crown Center and his pretty friend. Her face is kind of squinchy in this picture, but trust me - she's cute.
A lady I found to be very graceful when she walked.
A mom and her behbehs.
Love is in the air...
Told you K.C. wasn't that bad. -=0D