Kansas City

Friday, July 27, 2012--Des Moines to Kansas City

I was on IH 35 from Des Moines to Kansas City.  It isn't nearly as busy in this part of the country as it is in Texas.  It was a 3-hour drive without the tension I would have had on stretches of it at home.

My Days Inn is "brand new."  The quotes are based on the fact that the building has been here, but it has just gone through a complete remodeling.  Everything is new--the beds, the TVs, the carpeting, and even the windows.  Their wifi signal is a bit weak, but I seem to get a fast response.

I have been reading literature since arriving just after lunch.  Missouri is a state that never sent me tourist information in response to my online request.  I stopped at the tourist office on the border and picked up some things.  Because I expected the Olympic opening ceremonies to be broadcast live beginning at 15:00, I decided to do my research and watch the ceremony before going out.

I discovered that my location is good.  The major tourist sites are within 5 miles of my motel.  I only reserved my room for two nights, so today and tomorrow consist of my time for exploring.  (Almost nothing is open Sunday morning.)  Fortunately, I found out that the three museums that are supposed to be must-see sites are open until 9 p.m. tonight and one of them is open until 9 p.m. tomorrow night.  Two of them are near a famous neighborhood I want to see, so I decided to save those for tomorrow so I can park in one location and see them together.  I thought I would go tonight to see the Nerman Museum on the southwest side of town (inside Kansas) after seeing the Olympic ceremony.  When the Olympic ceremony didn't come on at 15:00, I checked on the computer and discovered it will be broadcast on a delayed basis at night.  I quickly changed my plans and headed for the Nerman.

The Nerman is located on a community college campus, and it took about 20 minutes to get there.  It's in a very modern building which I could recognize from the photos on their website.  It specializes in contemporary art which I tend to enjoy.  However, much of what they had on display today did not impress me.  The pieces were by fairly young artists, and I get the feeling that they are being allowed to be sloppy--showing no indication of skill in the production of their work.  Out of 3 ceramists who were in a show, only one (a German named Matthias Hess) had produced anything that looked like it took skill to do so.  The work by William J. O'Brien and by Arlene Shechet looked like junk that needed to be discarded.  Only a few of the paintings and photographs from the permanent collection of the museum looked like quality had been a factor in producing them.  The museum, in a wonderful building, was a disappointment.

I stopped for a quick bite to eat and got back to my room in time to write this before the Olympic ceremony began.  Will be out doing lots more in Kansas City tomorrow.

Steps Walked:  4499

Miles Driven:  237