Kansas City 2012

I love Kansas City. Everything about the city seems to be perfectly suited for a great weekend with the guys. World class BBQ - check with places like Oklahoma Joe's, Woodyards, Jack Stack, etc. One of the best and most underrated baseball stadiums - check with Kauffman Stadium. A great downtown with plenty of places to drink, dance and enjoy hanging out with friends - check with the Power & Light District. I get asked the question "why do you go to Kansas City so much" often and my response almost always includes the description that while Kansas City doesn't do everything, what it does it does extremely well. The city focus on a few key areas that I happen to really enjoy, and that is the reason I keep coming back.

This trip was another success. I've been to KC five times in four years. Assuming there is no financial or personal crisis next year then it will be six times in five years next year. This trip had a slight variation on our normal trips because we bought tickets to see Jimmy Buffett at the Sprint Center. It was my first time inside the Spring Center and also seeing Jimmy Buffett outside Kansas City. Much like Kansas City has become a tradition I've also had yearly trips (4 times) to Alpine Valley, Wisconsin to see Jimmy Buffett. If you can't tell I am sometimes I a creature of habit when I find something I like to do.

The most exciting thing about the Buffett concert was what happened before the official concert even started. No more than five minutes after we had all picked up our first margarita at the Power & Light District, Jimmy Buffett gave a surprise 10 song set less than a 100 feet from where we were standing. We were very fortunate because during all my Jimmy Buffett concerts I had never been even remotely that close to him before. The concert lived up to my expectations and started the night off well.

It was great meeting up with now distant friends (two from Minneapolis, one from Iowa and one from Chicago) and sharing a few drinks. It is great having these long-term friends, where it takes zero time to get back to how things used to be. It might seem strange to others that Kansas City is the place we want to visit, but if anyone reading this blog ever spent an hour there with us they would understand.