Kansas City, Missouri, did not exist when Westport was first settled in 1831. It didn't take long after Lewis and Clark set off from St. Louis for this settlement to become a bustling supply center for the uber adventurous mountain men, desperate New England farming families, immigrants and assorted fortune seekers bound for the newly acquired lands of the Louisiana Purchase. Just seven years later the town of Kansas was established a few miles north on the banks of the Missouri River. Fertile land, the "superhighways" of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers and westward expansion provided both steady growth and prosperity for what would become sprawling metropolitan Kansas City.
Kelly's
Kelly's Westport Inn did not serve the pioneers, but the dry goods store that first occupied the 1850 brick building may have been the last supply station any of these westward bound people would see for many months. "Location, location, location" is obviously what Albert Boone, grandson of Daniel Boone, was thinking when he established his store and saloon in Westport. The town was literally the intersection of the Sante Fe, Oregon and California Trails. As the oldest building in metropolitan Kansas City (the town was incorporated into the city in the 1890s) it's on the National Register. It became an inn in the 1930s and Irish immigrant Randall Kelly started tending bar in 1947. Within a few years Kelly acquired the inn, a genuine working class pub frequented by such KC luminaries as painter Thomas Hart Benton.
His sons, Pat and Kyle, still maintain its rustic interior in deference to its historic nature and in contrast to the rapidly gentrifying Westport historic district. I spent an enjoyable evening sitting at the simple wooden bar, getting the story and gossip from affable bartender Mark Weber, drinking local micro brews and eating Joe's Pizza – another KC culinary legend.
The Q Hotel
The Q Hotel and Spa is a European-style boutique hotel in a renovated brick commercial building offering rooms on the smaller side of what many Americans prefer but with premium furnishings and amenities. The attractive lobby offers comfortable quiet space with ample laptops for quests who did not bring their own, as well as a bar with a free two-drink happy hour every evening. The complimentary buffet breakfast includes made to order omelets. Free shuttle service throughout the city is a welcome and surprising amenity. Guests will be dropped off wherever they wish and picked up at any location when they phone the hotel (airport transfers are not included in the complimentary service).
Bungalows
Kansas City's eclectic, low rise architecture is reflected in Westport. Late 19th century brick commercial structures line the streets surrounding Kelly's – Westport Road and 38th/39th streets – and are mostly occupied by trendy shops, bars and cafes. Broadway Boulevard is undergoing major restoration of its stunning Art Deco commercial strip after decades of neglect, and most of the residential housing is a catalogue of early 20th century Arts and Crafts bungalows, many maintained in pristine condition.
Country Club Plaza
Next door to Westport, through adjacent parkland, is the planned 1920s 14-square block upscale shopping and entertainment district of Country Club Plaza. It's a Spanish town all built in the exuberant Spanish revival style of the Roaring Twenties. Dominated by its famous fountain, one of nearly 200 in this "city of fountains," the Plaza has weathered late 20th century commercial suburban flight to reestablish itself as a destination and tourist attraction. From Thanksgiving through the New Year its buildings are ablaze with tens of thousands of holiday lights. The city's two famed art museums are nearby, The Nelson-Atkins and the Kemper.
Vietnam War Memorial
Many think of the Midwest as all a flat plain, but Westport is on a series of gently rolling hills. It's a pleasant neighborhood for a stroll, more a small town feel than urban. A well designed oasis of green and fountains is the Vietnam War Memorial. It's a nice spot to stop and contemplate the sacrifice of both the men and women who fought in that war and the pioneers that risked life and fortune to build the west.
Marc d'Entremont - Years of experience as a chef, historian and teacher guides my travel and food writing. I explore all things that shape a culture.
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