Buffalos and Barbecue

The last time I wrote we were still 800 miles away from Chicago.
Colby Kansas is flat and friendly.  Its welcome centre is there to
encourage travelers to hang around and visit their art gallery or
theatre.  But the cheerful man behind the counter was unfazed by our
intention to keep going.  He told us to make a quick stop at Oakley, Kansa.
This is the town where Buffalo Bill Coady got his name.  (Annie Oakley
was part of his wild west show...but had no connection to Oakley
Kansas.  Go figure.)

Anyway, we stopped to view the beautiful monument to the dreadful
contest which gave him bragging rights and his name. 

In 1868 he competed with another
buffalo hunter - Medicine Bob Comstock - to see who could kill the most
buffalo in one day.  Bill won the day - too bad for the poor animals who would soon disappear forever.  But it was a
different time.  Bill was one of
the west's great myth builders.

His wild west show defined the romance and excitement that we all associate with the
opening of the west.  Blair and I couldn't resist entering into the spirit when we had the
chance! 

There's really not much I can add to these - sometimes there's no accounting for

the silliness that helps to make the miles seem shorter.

So off we went to Kansas City - and decided to spend two nights there.  Our hotel was

downtown - not far from the mighty Missouri River and a farmer's market area that

was deserted (except for a goblin or two) - mainly because market day is on Saturday and this was a Thursday!

We didn't know much about KC...other than part of it is in Kansas and the other part

is in Missouri.  And something else:  they make great barbecue here.  So, after night fell, we drove off to another seemingly deserted area of town and found Arthur Bryant's.  It was not deserted.

People of all descriptions and colours were enjoying KC's version of health food.  Delicious fries and braised pork on a bun along with local brew.  I've been trying to get in regular walks every day, but there's no way a daily walk can overcome the fat, cholesterol and other delicious calories we've  been consuming on a fairly regular basis.  Sigh.

We compensated the next day with a lovely meal of vietnamese food - spring rolls and noodle soups.  And some walking.  We were encouraged to check out one of North America's first shopping malls built in 1927.  It was a remarkable example of ornate and fanciful architecture. 

There are even bronze copies of European sculpture.

 but it was as if all the upscale stores from Fifth Avenue in New York City had set up branches here.  And they aren't outlet stores, either.  Very pricey. 

Of course its impossible to take the pulse of a city by staying a couple of nights and reading a few chapters in guide books.  A lot of the US cities built on the old industrial model have had to try to redefine themselves as those industries became obsolete.  The downtown cores seem hollow - lots of buildings but not enough people to fill them.  At least that's the impression I've had - KC and Cleveland (a previous trip) are struggling.  St. Louis and Chicago are thriving.

We were getting anxious to get to Chicago.  We had one more night on the road at Springfield, Illinois, and then an easy drive into Chi-town on Sunday morning.  We took one last stop at a Route 66 diner - this one is the Polka Dot Diner.  No polka dots in evidence, but some good burgers.

At this point we were only an hour from our studio apartment in Chicago.

More on that next.