Hannah's Favorites of the KC Area

This whole move to Texas is really cramping my style. I hate change and love routine, so the thought of leaving my beloved Missouri sucks butt. I've moved a lot over the past 10 years, and I've become more accustomed to change but it's still not one of my strengths. The last 4 years have been a time of adjustment for me to accept the KC area as "home," and I just when I made peace with it I'm being swept away somewhere else. I guess the saying is true you don't know what you've got until it's gone! Therefore, I've dedicated this post to some of my favorite places and things to do in KC. I will probably thing of more to share with you in the future, but these are a few of things on my mind tonight.  I'm pretty boring and enjoy good old-fashioned fun, so excuse me if my list isn't full of the hip things to do :)

1. FARMER'S MARKETS: Oh my goodness, please, please, please forgo the grocery cart this summer and head on out to enjoy the wonderful local produce. There are so many farmer's markets in the metro area that I've only visited a few, but they are so worth your time and money. My favorite Saturday activity is to head out to one of the markets and pick up fresh produces, and then go home and cook a huge brunch. Mmmm, sweet tater hash browns, old fashioned pancakes smothered in fresh berries, and a large mug of locally roasted coffee. Of course, River Market is the huge urban market that most people know about. You can check it out here: http://www.kcrivermarket.com/. I love it because of the wonderful shops to venture in and the variety, but I hate crowds and this place is swarming on Saturdays. I tend to stick to the smaller markets close to my house. Blue Springs has a great market that is small but has decent variety AND organic produce! http://www.bluespringsfarmersmarket.com/. My favorite market is Lee's Summit market. I got a free range organic Amish raised chicken for $10 last year!!! It's a FABULOUS market. Go, please! Last but not least is the off-the-cuff market, BadSeed. This place is rockin' with heirloom varieties of organic veggies that you can't find anywhere else around, artisan breads, locally roasted coffee, herbs, meats, etc that is ALL organic. It's fun and on Friday evenings, and I suggest everyone go to see the amazing movement of urban farming. http://www.badseedkc.com/farm/the-farmers-market/vendors-products/. 

2. ANTIQUES: Yes, please! KC has some mighty fine antique/vintage furniture stores. Seriously, some of the best and most unique I've seen. My all time favorite is River Market Antiques http://rivermarketantiquemall.com/. It is 4 floors of vintage awesomeness, and if an item is over $50, then you can bargain with the vendor for a lower price. I got two chairs and a couch for a 1/3 of the asking price by doing this, and they add just the touch of Hannah-ness to my house that it needed. I LOVE THIS PLACE! Another fan favorite of KC peeps are the West Bottoms. Sadly enough, I've only been here one time because I just found out about the amazingness that abounds in the old factory district. Rows and rows of old factory buildings have been turned into floors and floors of refurbished goodness. The stores are like mazes, because the old buildings haven't been redone and are have their original old wood creakiness and dank hallways (which I find fabulous). You could spend days searching through the stores. http://www.westbottoms.com/. 
Here's a picture of my green chairs and coffee table found at the above stores:

3. INDEPENDENCE SQUARE: This is my all time favorite place to escape and feel a blast from the past. There is something quaint and nostalgic about this simple downtown, even though half of the downtown is vacant. How sad! I could disappear here for an afternoon and feel my worries wash away. My favorite ice cream parlor is located here: Clinton's Soda Fountain. I believe the story is President Truman was a soda jerk here.

My favorite little coffee shop is located on the square. The coffee isn't the best in KC, but the atmosphere is adorable and cozy and wonderful. The counters are made from old doors with the antique knobs still in place. See:

Also located downtown is a great home decor store called Be Here Now http://www.b-here-now.com/ and a kitchen store called Gilbert Whitney http://www.gilbertwhitney.net/.

4. QUICK GET-A-WAYS: You may have already realized I love good food, antiques, and the simple things in life. This is why I love a quick trip to the wonderful historical communities around KC. My two favs: the Civil War town of Lexington and one of the former largest ports on the Mississippi, Weston. They are both full of antique shops, artisan stores, fabulous old architecture, and local orchards and wineries. When I retire and am an old lady, I plan to move into one of these historic towns and live the rest of my days away in peace and simplicity :) I've yet to stay in a bed and breakfast at one of these locations, but it's  on my to do list. Maybe I can convince Robert to take me before we move.

5. THE B-WORD.......BRUNCH!!!!: Yes, sirree, my ultimate meal in KC wouldn't be bbq, instead it would be brunch. The best brunch is one made with my husband or my friend Rachel with fresh local produce and meats, but second best is at one of the local restaurants. My top places would be Ginger Sue's in Lee's Summit http://www.gingersues.com/locations.html, Succotash just off downtown KC http://www.succotashkc.com/, The Corner Restaurant http://www.thecornerkc.com/, and last but not least the Corner Cafe http://www.thecornercafe.com/.

6. LAKES: This goes out to my husband who likes to disappear on a hot summer night and go fishing ALL night long. I grumble and moan, but I have fun joining him and snacking on Little Debbies and reading while he fishes. There are some great small lakes around that we've had a lot of fun letting out some stress. My favorite is Smithville Lake. The lake is huge and beautiful, and the land surrounding it is extremely serene. Another option for my future retirement ;)