City Market

What a beautiful day to visit the City Market!

Power & Light Art Fest

And the Rockets' Red Glare

Last night was the 5th annual Celebration at the Station. Those of us living in Crown Center were treated to a musical rehearsal Saturday from noon to 10 p.m. Then the real festivities got underway yesterday with music and fireworks. Click the title above for more photos of the event.

Spring Rambling

It's been a year since posting a note--can't think of anything else that I haven't done in a year. Why? Just wordless I guess. Not many people would agree with that statement-- especially my husband , Larry. Lots has changed since last year. #1 economy-- this says it all (author unknown)" We are twice as miserable losing something than we are happy gaining the same thing".
# 2 weather-- well I am so happy to see spring come. Today everything looks green and flowers and flowering trees are all budding. We even washed our car this am---a first since Oct. That could be a record .Well for us anyway. I agree with Forrest Tucker, "He loves nature in spite of what it did to him." He could have been referring to me.!
#3 sports--- we the Hawks and the Mizzo's are heading for the final four. In our divided house we are rooting for both ,but notfor these teams to play against each other. That's an oxymoron. It comes natural . All bets are off. That's it ! To be continued next wk. or not! The Rambler

St. Patrick's Day 2009

After 26 years of going up Grand the St. Patrick's Day Parade moved to Broadway! The parade started 15 minutes late, due to a glitch with the free shuttle busses. The organizers hired 2 motor coaches to transport parade-goers from Union Station to the parade route. Long lines formed at Union Station, and some people decided to walk.

The parade was finally underway!

The Irish Museum's float.

Nancy and Kara

The Cobras!

Conrad, Nancy, Margie and Patti

Penncoyd Bridge

In January 2006 a massive undertaking occurred when the Penncoyd Bridge, named after the company that manufactured it, was moved from beneath the Broadway Bridge to the Freight House. The 1892 span sat unused on the river bluffs since the 1960s. It once provided a rail connection between the early city and the west bottoms. It sat near the spot where the roots of Kansas City Southern began in 1887.

View the video below to see Conrad's photos of the move.

Kansas City Southern donated the bridge. A partnership among Pershing Road Development LLC, Kansas City Terminal Railway, Kansas City Southern, Union Station and the Freight House was responsible for the undertaking. Kansas City Terminal Railway was responsible for the project over its tracks. The Freight House donated an easement in its parking for the north end of the bridge. Union Station made room for the south end to empty into the Sprint Festival Plaza, or north waiting room. Mark One Electric Co. Inc. was in charge of clearing the power lines and traffic signals. Pershing Road Development, one of whose partners is DST Systems Inc., financed the $5 million bridge project.

Permits for the oversized load to cross two bridges on Grand had to be obtained from the Missouri Department of Transportation and with the city. The bridge transport had to be coordinated with sewer work on Grand planned by the KC Live entertainment project. Because Grand is a boulevard, the project also required the OK of the Parks and Recreation Department. All property owners on Grand received notification and that the contractors would be responsible for fixing any damage.

Physically moving the bridge was a spectacle. Two of the three spans , measuring 100 feet and 142 feet long and weighing a combined 137 tons were transported. The sections were too long for a flatbed truck. One end rested on a truck and the other was suspended on wheels for the journey. Overhead utility wires had to be removed. Traffic lights were swiveled on their bases to make way. It was filmed by the history channel and still appears on a segment of Mega Movers.

Eventually the bridge was made into a pedestrian walkway connecting Union Station with the Freighthouse District crossing over the railroad tracks. The APAC-Kansas Inc. construction and hauling company of Overland Park blasted the green lead paint off, cleaned and painted it. The firm of McCownGordon Construction LLC of Kansas City built a “bridge within a bridge” to be suspended inside the steel frame. It has a roof to protect pedestrians from the elements but has open vents on the sides to let in air and light and allow people to see out. The aluminum panels on the sides evoke a passenger train crossing the bridge. The north end of the bridge, which will have an elevator.

From an article in the Kansas City Star

11/2/2005 By Matt Campbell

Union Station

Union Station
30 West Pershing Rd
Kansas City, MO. 64108
816.460.2020
http://www.unionstation.org/index.cfm

Built in 1914, this Kansas City landmark is home to a permanent rail exhibit with vintage rail cars, an interactive science center, a vibrant Theater District featuring giant-screen movies and live theater, fine restaurants, spaces for meetings and events and much more. Of course, you can still catch the train at Union Station, once again among Amtrak's busiest stops. All of the light fixtures are original as well as the clock and floors. The windows in front are 8 stories high. During WWII over 50% of the soldiers went through Union Station, the 2nd largest train station in the nation.

Henry Wollman Bloch Fountain

In 2001, the H&R Block Foundation created the Henry Wollman Bloch Fountain at Union Station as a gift to the people of Kansas City. The 232-jet fountain produces spectacular computer-choreographed water displays in a medium between the Liberty Memorial and Union Station. More than 1,610 square feet of 2-inch-thick Winter Sky Granite was cut and shipped from Canada for the water display area. More than 7,991 square feet of 2-inch-thick Rustenburg Dark Granite was used for the water skin area. More than 736 square feet of 1 1/4 inch thick granite was used on the face of the fountain, designed by Wet Design.

Kansas City, known as the City of Fountains, is believed to have more public fountains than any city other than Rome.

What's for lunch?

The Hereford House is now open for lunch in the Hollywood Room, 100 East 20th Street, (previously O'Quigleys) just east of their old building on Main Street. The buffet lunch is $7. The original plan was to be open for lunch on Mondays until March when the Hollywood Room will be remodeled and reopened as the Hereford House; however, lunch is now being offered Monday - Friday on a trial basis. Call ahead to make sure lunch is being served: (816) 842-8718

A walk around the neighborhood

This morning we walked to Crown Center to take pictures of the Hallmark ornament window that was displayed on Times Square for Good Morning America from December 3-31. You can find this in the lower level at the bottom of the south escalators. Scott Butterfield, trend consultant and Hallmark employee for 20 years, used Hallmark's Keepsake Ornaments for inspiration as he incorporated iconic Kansas City scenes to build the window. The window includes five oversize ornaments that depict Kansas City scenes, including the Mayor's Christmas Tree and the J.C. Nichols Fountain. With nearly 200 LED lights, the Kansas City holiday display used almost a half pound of specially formulated iridescent flitter to create a sparkling snow effect.

Then we strolled over to beautiful Union Station. This fully restored 1914 landmark is one of Kansas City's treasures. What a great reconstruction! Closed in the 1980s, the Station sat empty and neglected, escaping demolition on several occasions. In 1996, a historic bi-state initiative was passed to fund the Station's renovation, which was completed in 1999.
The Station is once again a popular destination for the surrounding community just stopping by for lunch or to mail a letter from the post office in the west end of the Grand Hall. The station draws tourists from all over the world who marvel at the Grand Hall's 95-foot ceiling, three 3,500-pound chandeliers.

I've never seen anyone do this, but I've heard that some people lay on the floor on their backs just to gaze at the ceiling! We took this photo from the 3rd floor balcony.

Currently on display in Union Station is Canstruction®, a design/build competition sponsored by the Society for Design Administration (SDA). Teams of architects, engineers, and students mentored by SDA professionals compete to design and build giant structures made entirely from full cans of food. The results are displayed to the public as magnificent sculpture exhibits in each city where a competition is held. At the close of the exhibitions all of the canned food used in the structures is donated to local food banks for distribution to emergency feeding programs that include pantries, soup kitchens, elderly and day care centers. Since its inception, ten million pounds of food has been donated to aid in the fight against hunger. You can view Canstruction at Union Station through February 13.

Liberty Memorial’s Dedication Wall

Directly across Across the street from Union Station on the south side of Pershing Road is Dedication Wall containing the busts of the 5 Allied generals of WWI. These busts are located on the exact spot where the main Allied military leaders spoke to a crowd of close to 200,000 people November 1, 1921. It was the only time in history that these leaders were together at one place. In attendance were Lieutenant General Baron Jacques of Belgium; General Armando Diaz of Italy; Marshal Ferdinand Foch of France; General John J. Pershing of the United States; and Admiral David Beatty of Great Britain.

Farewell Golden Harvest Bakery

Those of us who have been buying our coffee for years at the Golden Harvest Bakery bid a sad farewell to our friends Cynthia, Ann, Karen, Angela and others who lost their jobs when the bakery abruptly closed its doors on Dec. 29, 2008.

In other Crown Center news, The Kids Place has moved to Micah's, just across the hall.