KC Confidential

Downtown Des Moines, so pristine it looks photoshopped!

Trust me on this…

You wouldn’t want to have to live in Wichita. Just being from there must be a downer, judging from the folks I’ve in Kansas City who run successful bars, restaurants or businesses that practically apologize for being from the land down under.

And don’t get me started on Topeka.

I think I’ve made myself clear on how lame the capital of Kansas is and you know how much I hate to repeat myself.

Omaha?

Doable, I suppose, if one had to.

Although after suffering through two years in Lawrence, Kansas’ KU basketball cult, I’m pretty sure 24/7 Cornhusker Mania would be equally insufferable.

And despite the physical charms of Omaha’s Old Market, my experience was the people didn’t appear much different than the folks at Sam’s in Topeka. I know I’m being catty, just trying to keep it real.

Like most rural cities, cooler dudes like Nebraskans Kevin Collison and Greg Hall usually find a way to escape the gravitational pull to places like Kansas City or Denver.

Which brings us to the topic of the day, Des Moines, Iowa.

And while this may represent a rush to judgement, I have to say, I think I could actually handle living in Des Moines. Seriously.

Continue reading →

It was one of the most anticipated bar openings in Lawrence in ages…

And on a frisky Friday late last month – in the midst of the Lawrence Busker Festival – a “speakeasy” called the John Brown Underground quietly came into this world at 7 East 7th Street in downtown Lawrence.

A speakeasy, you say?

My dictionary defines speakeasy as “a saloon or nightclub selling alcoholic beverages illegally, especially during Prohibition.”

And since Prohibition has long since passed, and pretty much all of the liquor I saw at the tiny basement club appeared to be of the “legal” variety, I’d say John Brown’s speakeasy reference has a lot more to do with the fad of retro style bars hustling classic cocktails than any illegal activities.

Early on rumors that the John Brown was to be a “gentlemen’s club” had some local lasses a titter over the prospect of scantily clad, lewd women cozying up to ungentlemanly gentlemen. That however was not to be.

Here’s the deal… Continue reading →

Kansas City hates being looked down upon…

We don’t like playing second fiddle to St. Louis and don’t like getting lumped in with third rate “flyover” cities like Wichita, Omaha and Des Moines.

We hate it.

That’s why for the better part of more than 15 years, the thing that pissed off Kansas City Star readers of my column most were my tongue-in-cheek references to KC as “the cowtown.”

Hey, Kansas City is World Class with attractions like Major League Baseball, the NFL, Nelson-Atkins Museum and Country Club Plaza. We’ve got two – count ’em – Apple Stores and two – count ’em again – Trader Joe’s. We’ve got the Sprint Center, Sporting Kansas City and one of the finest stadiums in all Major League Soccer. We’ve got some killer local barbecue joints and most of the important fast food chains, with the exception of In–N–Out Burger.

Nothing third rate about us. Continue reading →