It took the morning to drive clear across the state of Missouri from St. Louis to Kansas City. With Monica’s excellent navigation skills, we drove straight to the Country Club Plaza in the south end of the city… a 3 block square consisting of 150 high-end shops, beautiful Spanish influenced architecture, multiple sculptures and fountains throughout and lots of public green spaces along the canal. It is really lovely. However, temps were pushing 30 degrees with high humidity as an afternoon thunderstorm approached so we got our photos and didn’t linger too long in the heat.
We continued into the heart of the city and found the Hallmark corporate headquarters and toured the visitor’s center. It was so nostalgic to see the history of Hallmark dating back to the early 1900s, the people associated (Winston Churchill, Grandma Moses, Norman Rockwell), the time line of cards and other memorabilia, the Christmas ornaments (of which we have a couple at home). We also got to meet and chat with one of the Hallmark artists. Bonus, they give you complimentary cards when you leave… all with free admission!
Then the heavens opened as a lightning storm dumped on the city. We pulled into the Union Station parking lot to wait for it to let up. It was terrible, tremendous and thrilling. Since sightseeing was temporarily cancelled and we were hungry, Monica Googled a nearby sushi restaurant (The Drunken Fish) and we had a great meal as the storm passed.
Last stop of the day was at the Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral to see the most amazing Tiffany window… a woodland scene with waterfall and deer. It is THE most beautiful Tiffany window I have seen yet. There are many windows in the church but only two Tiffanys. In addition to stained glass, they also have one of only 300 copies in the world of the original “fully illuminated” St. John’s Bible. That’s special and I was so happy to visit this small but spectacular church.
We left Kansas City in rush hour traffic and made it to Independence (10 miles outside the city) for the night. Blogging completed, a late evening snack craving was satisfied right next door to our hotel at Sheridan’s Ice Cream parlor.
Here are the highlights of day 26 – Kansas City
nellyglass studio 