The City Market Kansas City - Steamboat Arabia

living.boondockingmexico@yahoo.com

First off, an Airbnb warning.  We have had to switch to mostly hotels onn this trip.  A huge disappointment.  Places are listed as $50 to $60 a night but then they include some wildly high cleaning and service fees.  We have attempted to negociate those fees on this trip and they won't budge.  Below are some very common examples of what we have found in all the cities or nearby cities.  Airbnb, you have taken advantage of what was a very good thing.  There are two prices, the nightly rate and then the final price.

Believe it or not, we are in Hudson, Ohio spending the weekend with friends Brenda and Mario and their three children.  We will be heading back to Monterrey tomorrow Sunday the 22nd of September.  I haven't had time to post.  Too many people and places to see.  As of this post we were still in Kansas City for the week and getting ready to head to Justice, IL, northeast of Chicago.

We took off and left all the family behind during the day and went downtown.  A beautiful place to learn about architecture and history but you rarely see anyone walking around on the sidewalks.  In fact, we see quite a bit of public transportation but it is always empty.  Taking into account our hotel location we could have easily taken the bus or trolley.  However, the cost for non-monthly riders is prohibitive and cheaper for us to drive straight down Main St. some 40 blocks and park at the market for free.  As we were walking around the market, the trolley passed by several times but again, it was always empty or with a rider or two.

We arrived at the museum for the Steamboat Arabia first.  Quite a story.  The steamboat traveled the Missouri River taking goods back and forth.  On one particular trip, the ship was filled with cargo to go west for pioneers settling the great open plains of what would soon become states in the U.S. The shipped carried 77 passengers and crew, a donkey and four cargo holds filled with any and everything that a person setting up house and farm would need.  I won't make the list, you can see it in the photos below.  

In 1856, the ship caught a snag, a giant log that had fallen and stuck in the mud of the river.  The snag was lodged inside the hull of the ship.  The passengers swam to shore, the ship went down with all the cargo aboard and also a donkey that was tied to the deck.  

Many people had looked for the ship and its loot as the years went by.  Never any luck.  In 1988, a family of brothers and a father shared the story with a friend who owned a restaurant.  They decided to invest in the search and hopeful recovery.  Rivers move with heavy rains and flooding.  Over the 135 years, the river had moved half a mile.  The ship was found buried under a cornfield.  The owner agreed to the excavation and work began.  Well, they struck gold and the rest is history.

Aerial satellite view of the corn field, the river and the ship location.

The paddle wheel and one of the two steam engines that pushed the ship down the mighty Missasip.

They began pulling out all of the goods in the four cargo holds with the intentions of getting rich.  Instead, they made a deal with the state of Missouri and Kansas City.  The museum was built including a laboratory to clean and restore the items.  Luckily, almost all of the goods had been well reserved in the cold waters and mud.  Cleaning was the major step and revealed life as it was for the pioneers heading west.  The museum houses what now appear to be stores and shops from the time housing all of the goods.  On the day that the dig revealed stores of preserved foods in jars, one of the brothers opened a jar and ate the pickles right there on the spot.  He said they were sweat and crisp! 

Porcelain pulled from crates in the ship's hold.

Hardware of all kinds; farm tools, saws for cutting trees and making logs for cabins, nails, hammers, and more. 

A clothing store.

Guns and ammunition.  The glass in the window was found well wrapped and in the ship's hull and survived the sinking and the years.

After touring the steamboat, we headed across the street to the city market.  was built along the river bringing in all those goods.  The market dates back to the 1850s and has morphed overtime into a trendy upper class hangout but maintains its original purpose.  Nothing is static.  It was originally a venue for produce sellers, politcal rallies, and concerts.  In the 20s, immigrants had set up shop selling goods and produce. It stayed that way until the late 70s.  Mostly Italians and Germans.  In 1907, my grandfather came and set up house and to check out life in the U.S.  He entered through Ellis Island, returned to Croatia for my grandmother.  My dad was born in 1910 but didn't start school until he was ten.  He didn't speak English so they wouldn't let him enroll.

The market today is filled with gift shops, restaurants, produce shops now owned and managed by a new wave of immigrant; Middle Easterners, Mexicans and southeastern Europeans.  

Amazing that supermarket prices are much higher and that these prices pretty much mirror those of Mexican supermarkets. 

 

On our last day we went to have breakfast at a Mexican restaurant.  Great people from Jalisco.  We chatted for quite a bit and talked about all the good and bad of what is happening now.  BTW, on the back burner for us might be moving to the U.S. or at least buying a place in case things do not improve soon.  Sad, but we have both reached that reality.

Next up will be our trip to Chicago visiting our friends before getting to Cincinnati

Nothing Is Static - Kansas City Visit

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We left Kansas City on Thursday and headed for Justice, Il. (Chicago).  We're now in Cincinnati and will be having a family get together later this afternoon.  The weather has been good and the scenery the best.  

Here's a bit about our stay in Kansas City:

We had breakfast with our friends in Fayetteville, Ar. before taking off.  We had dinner at their house the night before but they insisted on toast and coffee before taking off.  It wasn't "toast", it was French toast with fresh fruit, goat yogurt and butter.  Very good.

We traveled through Oklahoma, Arkansas and Missouri.  The section of Oklahoma was off the beaten path and through farmlad.  It was a great drive getting off the whacky interstate.  I thought having driven in Mexico for so many years that there would be no issues.  What a mad house.  The driving habits are some we almost never see.  At times you think that someone is coming after you the way they approach from behind.

The first stop was my oldest nephew's house.  Patrick and Virginia live a rehabilitated part of the city, right off of downtown.  Urban blight had hit about 30 years ago leaving abandoned and destroyed homes.  The city plowed them down and new, low-income homes were built.  Since then though, the area has gone through a complete renaissance,   The original homes an 100 year old brick apartment buildings have been restored.  Younger professionals have purchased homes and condominiums have replaced the old.  

Patrick is a writer who has published many books including his cross-country adventures and river rafting.  He taught English at the university and now nearing retirement is a mail carrier.  A few more years and he'll receive his pension.  Virginia was a registered nurse most of her life, now retired she has taken up jazz singing and has begun singing in local pubs and clubs.

My 82 year old sister was there and it was a great reunion.  I talk to her several times a week but haven't seen her for over 10 years.  She lost her husband to dementia earlier this year.  She is now deciding where her life will go and making plans to enjoy her years.  

I've published the Country Club Plaza before on my blog.  It's an area created by the famous J.C. Nichols.  It was a Spanish-influenced open plaza area that covers several square miles.  The architecture is Spanish with some nuances that may or may not match.  The buildings are covered with clay tiled rooves (roofs), tiled sidwalks and fountains every where.  Some are originals and many are copies.  Kansas City earned the name of the "City of Fountains" because of Nichols great plan.  I used to hang out here a kid.  We lived up the hill from the Plaza and friends would just walk around and get into mischief.  There was a bowling alley and we formed a league and bowled for two years, tean shirts and all.

My niece prepared a delicious dinner for us and her family.  Pot roast, steamed veggies, and green beans.  So we decided we should bring desert.  We stopped at the Cheesecake Factory and picked up a really delicious Red Velvet.   The best ever with the exception of my low-fat, no-fat yogurt cheescake!

What follows are some of the many statues and fountains found around the Plaza.

This shop used to be a medical uniform shop.  My mother had never worked apart from being a made for a rich Kansas City family.  However, she was called for jury duty which turned into a month-long trial.  They were sequestered for four weeks in a downtown hotel.  My mother received a juicy check which she used to buy a new sewing machine.  After that she had the bug.  One of my brother's mother-in-law, recently widowed, began working in the uniform shop and invited my mom to work with her.  My mother received her liberation when she was in her 60s.  She had money to do what she wanted, when she wanted.  What followed was a driver's license and a car of her own.

This colorful building is where my dentist was located.  I had bad teeth from the get go.  Not sure why, bad nutrition, lack of vitamins from my mother or just genetic although no one else had this problem.  I had caps on most of my teeth by age seven, they would just crumble.  My mom would walk me to the dentist, I dreaded it.  Once I bit the dentist's finger and he back handed me.  When finished with the work he took me to the waiting room and told my mom.  She never said a word, she was very understanding.  After, each appointment, she would take me to the Woolworth's counter for a grilled cheese sandwich.  She was really something.  

The famous boar fountain has been there since before I was born.  Known as the "Wild Boar of Florence", with the original marble-carved boar by the Greeks over 2000 years ago.  Italians made a copy that still stands to the entrance of the Straw Market in Florence.  A bronze copy was made and it is one of the two replicas in the world.  If you see it, be sure to rub it's nose for good luck.

The old Skelly Oil Building, a Oklahoma oil company, sits on 47th street.  Now defunct, my oldest sister worked there.  My dad took the bus to work everyday and on his way home, he would stop by and pick up my sister.  One day, he went into her office and told her, "you need to tell your boss you're quitting.  Your mom is having a baby (number 10).  She'll need your help".  She quit, and six months later she was married and her fisrt child was a little more than six months older than my little brother.  She had helped raise five of my siblings doing household chores and changing diapers.  She figured if she was going to do it, she would do it for herself.  Some time after their marriage, she called crying saying she made fried chicken and mashed potatoes.  She didn't know how to cook for two.  My mom said not to worry and 30 minutes later we were eating dinner! 

Now a movie theater below, was a Sears store.  Right in the middle was the boy's department first floor.  I used to go with my friend Kevin and we would look at the mao shirts.  Oh how I wanted one.  It was white with black buttons and some gold-threaded trim.  It was there for at least two years.  My dad wouldn't permit me to wear what he said was a hippie shirt.

I tried to find the picture.  At this fountain was a wall where the restaurant is.  It had large niches with statues in them.  I had my picture taken there some 40 years ago.  

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If you click on the picture below you will see that what they thought was Spanish cultural architecture was really a Mexican tile art depicting people going to market. 

A tile work depicting a man in a sombrero, sarape and a donkey.  Not Spanish!

More to follow about Kansas City and our interesting tour of the Steamboat Arabia that sunk over 180 years ago and found buried under a cornfield some 300 feet away.

San Antonio - Dallas - Fayetteville - Kansas City

living.boondockingmexico@yahoo.com

A lot to cover for a week.  I know I should be posting daily but it has been so busy visiting friends and relatives.  

The trip from Monterrey was easy and pretty fast.  We made good time getting to Reynosa and the Anzalduas Bridge is truly a gem.  Again, no need to enter a city, turn right off of Hwy 85 north taking Hwy 2 west and 5 kms later you enter the bridge zone.  The pass is about 8 km long and the wait time was 27 minutes.  Juan went in to get his permit for 180 days, no car inspection and off we went.

Then things went south.  We drove most of the way to San Antonio in torrential downpours.  Not fun at all considering people would zoom by at over 85 mph in a 75 mph speed zone.  We slowed down in the rain but other continued to speed on causing a total of three very bad accidents, one including a semi.

Our Airbnb goes to the top of our list.  A small backyard one-bedroom casita with complete kitchen, bath, dining, and laundry.  It is only 3 miles from our rental property we sold a few years back.  The only creepy thing is that the owners live in the house in front but have no contact.  It's all done via Whatsapp and they have cameras everywhere.  They make sure you know you are being watched 24/7.  Once you're past that part, you really enjoy yourselves.  You want for nothing and I mean that, including soft drinks, coffee, and snacks of all kinds.  The place smells like heaven and all the furnishings are top quality.  Expensive but yet less expensive than a good hotel.  

We had dinner with Giovanna, our friend Sam's cousin.  Sam passed away in February and we inherited $32.68 which we used for drinks toward our dinner that night.  We also picked up some artwork that was left behind for the taking.  Giovanna is 70 and has the skin of a 30 year old.  She is a wonderful woman and we love her to pieces.  We had a great time and celebrated Sam's life. 

We found a Buc ee's on the road to Dallas.  Wow, what a place!  It's a food and souvenir palace.  But unbelievable prices on food!  It was a buying frenzy.   I've never seen so many people buy so much crap in one place and pay so much money.  I guess Americans are really rich!  It was an interesting walk through but we got back on the road.  Before leaving, we discovered why it is so pricey.  They have a sign outside looking for workers.  Cleaning people start at $18 an hour and wages go up to $35.  An assistant director starts at $125,000.  And people bitch about CEO's and their pay.  Time to rethink all of that.  BTW, no one has ever answered my question.  How much is too much?

Next day we were off to visit Juan's niece and her family in Dallas.  Alma lost her daughter almost three years ago in an accident.  She is still trying to overcome her loss and our visit helped her considerably telling the story, getting it out in the open and we all shed some tears.  We stayed two nights and did a lot of reminiscing.  They have a lovely home and they insisted we go out for dinner.  Alma's husband Angel is from Hidalgo state and has lived in the U.S. since 1997.  He has a construction business and is doing quite well.  We stayed at their house and it was very comfortable and quiet.

Friday we were off again.  We drove to Fayetteville, Ar.  What a beautiful drive we had.  The scenery and the hills coming into the city.  It was truly something.  We had an Airbnb and it was okay.  Not great but not bad.  We're very picky.  As you know, working on the road and doing hotels turns you off and many of you have rvs for that reason.  

We visited our friends Leyah and Kirk.  Leyah hired Juan for a Fullbright many moons ago and we have been friends since.  Kirk turns 83 this week so we celebrated with a delicious meal at their home.  They prepared baked salmon, wild rice, asparagas, salad and a sourdough bread made fresh that day with goat's butter.  A couple glasses of wine made for a great evening.  Next morning we agreed to a light breakfast of toast and coffee.  Well, Leyah has her way most of the time so did do toast.  French toast, fresh fruit, coffee, goat yogurt and cheese.  Enough to last us all day for the next stop.

Early out and on the road the weather had turned for the better.  Clear blue skies and lots of farmland.  We took backroads mostly through Oklahoma on and off the interstate and into Missouri.  A couple stops for pictures and a coffee break.

Into Kansas City we headed for my nephew's house.  My sister Dorothy, now 82 was as excited as were to see each other.  A lot of hugs and kisses and some stories along with coffee.  We headed to our hotel for a nice nap.  This hotel is on Main Street and a new trolly car line is going in.  They have discounted the hotel by 48% and it was such a good deal compared to Airbnb that we couldn't say no.  Nice room, great amenities such as a gym and breakfast.  We are minutes away from my nephew's house and five blocks walking to the Country Club Plaza.  We took my sister out for an evening snack, coctails at our hotel in-room and good conversation.

I'm saving the rest of Kansas City as we still have two more days here.  A lot of walking to make up for car sitting and restaurant meals.  

The blog has morphed more into my journal than a true blog with travel information.  As always, you are welcome to come along with us on our adventures, trips and daily gripes!