Power & Light

I am an afficionado of cities. Large or small, coastal or inland, I love cities. I am excited at the prospect of visiting new cities and discovering their unique character. I would rather go on vacation to Des Moines or Anchorage than some Caribbean island.
Much like a wine connoisseur, I like to take a deep waft of a city, sip it and swirl it around my mouth and then spit. Usually I am able to do that, but I am having a hard time finding the soul of Kansas City.
The 18th and Vine jazz district was nice, which featured the Negro Leagues baseball museum and the wonderful Mutual Musician's Foundation, but other than that I have not found any real neighborhood vibe here. The streets are empty; walking around downtown and midtown KC Saturday and Sunday with the missus was like walking around Schenectady at 3 a.m. We were the only people walking, and there wasn't even that many cars driving by.
I suspect part of that is due to KC not really being a college town. St. Louis, which is smaller, has a much more lively vibe, I suspect in part due to the many universities in that town.
But whatever the reason, right now I am having a hard time getting hold of Kansas City. A few years ago, the city redeveloped an area near downtown and turned it into a massive shopping, dining, and entertainment district, dubbed the Power and Light District. We dined there yesterday afternoon, and there wasn't much going on. We were told the P&L district is really happening at night.
But that's not for me. I am seeking an experience with more character. Tonight, dear readers, I will be seeing dub legend Lee "Scratch" Perry at an out of the way KC club. Things are looking up.
As far as beer goes, I have still yet to find a local brewery other than the last-blog mentioned Boulevard Brewery. But damn, is it good. I've mentioned the IPA, but also try the Belgian-style Wittbier. They do good work.