Last night we strolled down to the new Rockhill Grill for drinks and appetizers. The Back Napkin group has done a wonderful job with their newest venue. The green leather seating and beautiful finishes lend a aura of elegance to this neglected corner. I tried one of the two drinks on tap; The Clover Collins, made with Tito's vodka, raspberry lemonade and fresh ginger. It was so good I had another! The food items we tried: bruschetta, pig wings, and tuna poke. All were excellent.

What a great addition to the neighborhood!

Feast Magazine wrote a rave review you can read here.

The Rockhill Grille
2000 Grand Blvd., Crossroads Arts District
Kansas City, Missouri
816.389.5800,

Dim Sum Tea House

Today we were invited to the unique Shang Tea store in Crown Center to sample a potential new item on the menu, mung bean sprout salad. This tasty item could potentially replace the cabbage salad currently on the menu. We cast our vote for the mung bean sprout salad!

Other food items on the menu are Dim Sum and tea eggs.  Delicious, healthy choices made with fresh, organic ingredients!

This food is a great addition to the lovely tea offered here. The proprietor, Zehua Shang, owns a tea farm in the Fujian Mountains in China where goes twice a year for harvest. Talk about small batch . . . one field of tea, one retail store! Porcelain teacups and other teaware can be purchased.

Another item sold in this store is jade jewelry. Shang's sister is the buyer for this unique jade. She visits the jade design houses in China to find these treasures.

Read the article in Feast Magazine here.

Just a lazy, cloudy day in the neighborhood. We listened to some live music taking place at a picnic table on the lawn of the Liberty Memorial. Songwriter Frank Rardon and his daughter Esther, who performs around the Smithville area, entertained us with some nice ballads and some of Frank's original music.

Frank entertained us with "Blue October", a song he wrote about the Royals.

"At the crack of the bat, you know where I'm at in Blue October."
"I'm out at the "K", it's a mighty fine day in Blue October."

People were enjoying the mild weather, and even this dog appreciated the music.

Slide the City

What a glorious day for a Crown Center block party! With temperatures nearing 80 degrees, revelers lined up for a turn at 1,000 foot slides. Participants were issued a wristband good for 3 slides, a mouthpiece, a tube and a drawstring bag. The slides are set up along East Pershing Road between 25th Street and McGee Street.

Lines were long but worth the wait. The event runs from 9 am to 7 pm today.

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.

Mayor's Christmas Tree

The 100-foot-tall Mayor’s Christmas Tree that sits in Crown Center Square is one of the nation’s tallest and sports 7,200 white lights. This special tree stands as a symbol of the Mayor’s Christmas Tree Fund, which helps more than 33,000 people in the Kansas City area have a Merry Christmas each year. The main fundraiser is the sale of ornaments made from last year's tree and offered exclusively at Crown Center Customer Service.

The Mayor's Christmas Tree Fund has dwindled over the past couple of years, and this year as many as 500 applicants could be denied assistance. The fund is expected to earn around $40,000 with much of it going to elderly and disabled adults via $30 gift cards from Price Chopper grocery stores.

This holiday tradition began in 1878. For the past several years Crown Center has covered the cost of transporting a donated tree from the Pacific Northwest to Crown Center Square and reassembling it. The lights are turned on the Friday after Thanksgiving in a ceremony beginning at 6 p.m.

Happy Holidays

Hi Friends,
It's taken a while but I finally got back on this site . Now I have nothing to say!! Just kidding!
I love this season--- it is my favorite. When it is too cold to walk the Plaza , Larry and I go to Oak Park Mall and walk. Well I have to stop and shop around. The clerks aren't busy these days and are very eager to talk and visit. One learns a lot about people . Just one question brings out a story or two. I'll share some one of these days. Later the Rambler

Walk of Honor at Liberty Memorial

Personalized, engraved granite bricks for veterans (living or deceased) of all wars including WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam and the Desert Wars line the Walk of Honor at the entrance to the museum. The brick in the photo above was dedicated in honor on Conrad's father, Chris Knab, who served as a private in the U.S. Army during World War I.

Liberty Memorial’s Sphinxes

Two sphinxes sit on either side of the Liberty Memorial, "Memory" and "Future." Their faces are veiled with their wings. "Memory," facing east towards Flanders Fields and the seat of the war, has a hooded head and its face veiled with its wings to shut out the horrors or war. "Future," facing west, where "the course of the empire takes its way," has a veiled head and its face also veiled with its wings, as the future is veiled to all.

Future, facing West

The Liberty Memorial in bloom

The Liberty Memorial, taken from the Santa Fe Place / San Francisco Tower garden.

Blooming redbud trees at The Liberty Memorial.

Yellow daylillies at The Liberty Memorial.

National World War I Museum at Liberty Memorial

The National World War I Museum

Designed by Ralph Applebaum who also designed the Holocaust Museum in WDC, the museum is part of the Liberty Memorial and a must-see, offering glimpses of objects and documents ranging from weaponry and uniforms used during the war, to letters and postcards from the field. The most recent acquisition is a WWI French Renault FT-17 tank that was pierced by artillery during the war. The museum opened December 2, 2006. This is the only museum in the world dedicated to WWI.

Crown Center, from the top of the Liberty Memorial.

The Westin Crown Center Hotel is in the lower left of this photo; Santa Fe Place is in the lower middle with San Francisco Tower in the lower right.

Great Frieze of the Liberty Memorial

The Great Frieze on the north wall of the Liberty Memorial was sculpted by Edmond Amateis. Depicting progress from war to peace via 12 motifs between flags, starting with a vignette of destruction -- a howitzer and a badly wounded soldier -- and ending with hope for the future, the Frieze stretches 400 feet across and stands 13 feet high. The inscription above the Frieze reads, "These have dared bear torches of sacrifice and service; their bodies return to dust, but their work liveth forevermore. Let us strive on to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations."

The inscription on the east fountain reads, "Who more than self their country loved." The inscription on the west fountain reads, "The glory dies not and the grief is past."

In Flanders Fields

By: Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD (1872-1918)

Canadian Army
IN FLANDERS FIELDS the poppies blow

Between the crosses row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

Liberty Memorial Sliding Gates

The sliding gates at the south entrance of the Liberty Memorial were designed by Ellen Driscoll in 2006 and are called “Pro Patria More”. The lower stainless steel panels are perforated to create a silhouetted rendering of a photograph of Scottish Highlander soldiers leaving a WWI battlefield. The mosaics lining the top of each gate are a composite of photographic images of individual soldiers, field and battle scenes along with various badges from the different military entities who participated in the war.