Recently in Kansas City Category

Smack dab in the middle of America, there's a gleaming metropolis with hundreds of fountains, its own style of barbecue, and a couple celebrated sports teams. One of the largest cities in the Midwest, Kansas City is often called the "Paris of the Plains" because its large number of boulevards. But apart from the stately city planning, there are lots of things that make Kansas City unique, one of the most exceptional is a vibrant little region called the Crossroads Arts District.

With over 100 independent artist studios, the Crossroads Arts District comprises one of the nation's highest concentration of galleries. But with architecture firms, design studios, fabulous restaurants, and exquisite shops all spread out around the intersection of E. 18th St and Main, you'll see that there's a diverse range of creative types who give this neighborhood its exciting character.

Just across the train tracks from the Westin Crown Center, Kansas City, the district is an easy walk from the hotel. Head up Grand Street where you'll find Bob Jones Shoes at number 1914. With over 100,000 pairs of loafers, mules, oxfords, and Mary Janes, this footwear emporium dates back nearly five decades. Slip into some street walkers and head up to 17th and Oak. Genevieve Flynn creates stunning pieces of jewelry from sterling silver and gold that mimic the natural forms of calla lilies and cattails. Those interested in creating their own should check out her class schedule. Now you're in the heart of the Crossroads Arts District. Go ahead and explore! Special events, like art openings, concerts, and studio tours take place the first Friday and second Saturday of most months. Check the schedule to see what thrilling activities coincide with your visit.

The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art is one of Kansas City's premier attractions, boasting European masterpieces by Caravaggio and El Greco as well as an extensive collection of Asian art, but the work that has come to define it is also its most whimsical. An outdoor installation by Claes Oldenberg and Coosje van Bruggen entitled Shuttlecocks features, well, four jumbo-sized badminton shuttlecocks. Opinions were sharply divided when it was unveiled in 1994, with some patrons proclaiming their love for the playful four-part outdoor sculpture, and others decrying the display as "not art," and therefore unworthy of sharing space with works by Calder and Rodin. But most of the critics were eventually won over, and the Shuttlecocks are now the defining image of the museum, delighting young and old with their artistic treatment of the backyard summertime pastime. Admission is always free at this world-class museum, so drop by and decide for yourself if Shuttlecocks are art, whimsy, or something else entirely. The museum is convenient to several Starwood hotels, including the Westin Crown Center, Kansas City.

[image via Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art]

Kansas City is truly an American classic, with some of the country's greatest food, music, art, and history. And the nearby community of Leawood, Kansas, just south of Kansas City proper, is the perfect home base from which to experience the best of Kansas City and its environs, with everything you'll expect to find in the "heart of America," as well as a few things you won't. Gates Bar-B-Q, for example, is famous for its tantalizing hickory barbecue ribs, which have had generations of KC residents smiling and licking their sauce-coated fingers. But after a hearty meal like that, it's nice to have a walk in the great outdoors, and there are few better places for a stroll than Leawood's I-Lan Park, just a few blocks from the restaurant. I-Lan Park is named after Leawood's sister city, I-Lan, Taiwan, and its Asian-influenced landscaping and Taiwanese pagodas are a sight to behold. The 10-acre park includes a carefully manicured walking trail that's perfect for an after-lunch constitutional, and its Taiwanese garden is just the place to pause and reflect on the beauty around you. This charming Kansas town will also soon be the home to the element Leawood, which will open on September 1, 2008. element by Westin represents the latest thinking in hotels, offering everything you need to be at your best, from healthy meal options and cutting-edge workout facilities to bright and open public spaces and open-flow guest rooms featuring the Westin Heavenly Bed, spa-like bathrooms, and fully-equipped kitchens. It's a refreshing new way to take in the best of this exciting Midwestern town.