Cliff and I don't get out much. He prefers to be home, where he's comfortable, and can putter around as he loves to do. With my friends from Scotland coming to see the local sights, we decided we'd better make sure we knew how to get to all the places on our agenda.
Thank the good Lord we did a trial run!
We began the trek by going to Fort Osage, which isn't so far from home; we've been there, but it's been years. We missed one turn, but caught our mistake early.
Then on to Missouri Town 1855, in case we end up going there. I'm afraid we went a few miles out of the way, but we found it.
OK, on to the Kansas City historic eating places: I had my directions in hand telling how to get to Stroud's. Take I-70 to I-435, get off at 87th street.... sounds simple, doesn't it? It would have been, except that you can't get on I-70 west for a stretch of many miles because of road construction. The traffic is whizzing by on it, you just can't join them. As it was, we ended up taking I-470 almost to Kansas, nowhere near our destination. Time was getting away, and Cliff has to leave the house for work at 2:30. It's a long story, but we finally found Stroud's. For a world-renowned eatery acclaimed by food critics, this place is a dive! It's clean, but you wouldn't believe the neighborhood it's in.
OK, on to Arthur Bryant's, the barbecue that put Kansas City on the map. I-70 all the way to exit 3C; by this time we knew how to get on I-70, and we knew there was no quicker and easier way to do it than the designated detour. All we had to do was find Brooklyn avenue; after three or four wrong turns, we found our street. And ended up at Gates Barbecue! Well, we were both developing ulcers, and Cliff decided I'd googled directions to the wrong barbecue place.
"It's OK," says I. "Gates is famous too, and our guests might find it amusing the way the cashiers yell at the top of their lungs, from the time you walk in, 'Hi, may I help you?'"
Upon arriving back home, I found out both barbecue places are on Brooklyn, about five blocks apart.
Can you imagine what a fiasco it would have been if we hadn't gone on a test run, and had taken our guests with us for all this? With Cliff trying to stifle an occasional bad word? Not to mention the times he muttered something about my hair-brained ideas.
All's well that ends well, and we ended up laughing about it on the way home.
3 comments:
LOL Mo sounds like fun. Been there, we are doing our share of trying to find places in our new surroundings. Glad you took that dry run. Folks will have a great time I am sure. Wish I could have joined you all.
HHhmmmm kinda reminds me of two 'touritst' last year, trying to find their way in and out of Baltimore.....and wrong turns that took them an hour and a half out of their way thanks to T R A F F I C - OMG I love T R A F F I C.
So glad it all ended well. :o)
When I stop laughing I'll tell you it sounds like me and my husband. It also sounds like great fun. For some reason getting lost and taking wrong turns is great adventure to me. I am glad you did the dry run. It was the smart thing to do.
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