Tap into one of the nation's finest collections of Asian art by heading south of downtown to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, which added a huge new wing, the Bloch Building, in 2007. Nearby is the smaller Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, whose permanent collection includes works by Dale Chihuly and Robert Mapplethorpe.
"These three—the Nelson, Bloch, and Kemper—offer a confluence of arts from ancient to contemporary," says local artist Jane Booth. "They are where I go for high-quality nourishment."
Eighty-seven years after becoming the nation's first suburban shopping center, the Seville-inspired Country Club Plaza boasts 39 restaurants and almost a hundred shops. Stroll its 14 blocks to take in numerous lovely fountains and other outdoor art. Across the street is the Raphael, a European-style boutique hotel popular among honeymooners. (Insist on a room facing the plaza.)
For a downtown stay near the Power & Light District, try the renovated Aladdin Hotel, now run by Holiday Inn. North of the Plaza, the Marriott hotel (4445 Main St., +1 816 531 3000) and the Best Western Seville Plaza Hotel (4309 Main St., +1 816 561 9600) put both the Plaza and Westport within easy reach.
More shops and dining spots are in Crown Center, a hotel and shopping complex in the block just east of the Liberty Memorial. The historic Westport area, north of the plaza, also offers boutique shopping amid its popular restaurants and night spots, including Kelly's Westport Inn, an Irish pub.For out-of-the-way shops closer to downtown, peruse the racks at Tomboy (1817 McGee, +1 816 472 6200) for its locally designed men's and women's clothes. One door down are the sweet temptations of Christopher Elbow Artisanal Chocolates. Tomboy, www.tomboydesign.net. Christopher Elbow Artisanal Chocolates, www.elbowchocolates.com. Birdies (116 W. 18th St.) is a boutique for ladies' undergarments that insists it's guy-friendly for men looking for that special something. Posters and stationery as well as art prints are the stock and trade of Hammerpress (110 Southwest Blvd., +1 816 421 1929).
Barbecue is a Kansas City staple. Head two miles east of the Power & Light District to the iconic Arthur Bryant's restaurant for a plate of smoked beef slathered with sauce. Cross the state line into Kansas for a newer barbecue sensation, Oklahoma Joe's. "It's in a former gas station," says local marketing executive Zach Baze, "but it has the best meat on the planet."For a full meal to accompany the music, reserve a table at Jardine's Restaurant (4536 Main St., +1 816 561 6480). Taste the city's Irish history at the family-run Browne's Irish Deli (33rd & Pennsylvania, +1 816 561 0030). Besides a sandwich, tackle the Duncan Platter, a 2-pound cookie with chocolate chips and granola.
•Logistics: Power & Light District, www.powerandlightdistrict.com. National World War One Museum, www.libertymemorialmuseum.org. Union Station, www.unionstation.org. Negro Leagues BaseballMuseum, www.nlbm.com. American Jazz Museum, www.americanjazzmuseum.com. Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, www.nelson-atkins.org. Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, www.kemperart.org. Country Club Plaza, www.countryclubplaza.com. Raphael Hotel, www.raphaelkc.com, from $164. Aladdin Hotel, www.holidayinn.com, from $119.Crown Center, www.crowncenter.com.Westport, www.westportkc.com. Kelly's Westport Inn, www.kellyswestportinn.com. Arthur Bryant's, www.arthurbryantsbbq.com. Oklahoma Joe's, www.oklahomajoesbbq.com.Visitors association, www.visitkc.com.
Published in the May/June 2009 issue of National Geographic Traveler.
