NationalGeographicTravellerAustraliaandNewZealandWinter2018

76 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER

The Kansas City skyline overlooking

Union Station; the pulled pork

meal at Joe’s (top, left).

Kansas City

MISSOURI

“If you want to see some sin, forget about Paris and go to
Kansas City,” quipped journalist Edward Morrow in 1938.
Kansas City’s heydey, from the late 1800s until the start of the
Second world war, was a hotbed of prohibition-era excess and
musical innovation. These days the liquor flows legally, but
Kansas City still boasts plenty of raucous jazz clubs, smoke-filled
cigar rooms and dimly lit steakhouses. Perched on the edge of
the Great Plains, this sophisticated city retains a small-town vibe.

EAT THIS
Barbecue and steak vie for kansas
city’s greatest culinary claim to
fame. Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-
Que still operates out of a working
gas station and locals will happily
queue around the block. Family-
owned Gates Bar-B-Q traces its
roots back to henry Perry, the
godfather of kansas city-style
barbecue sauce – distinctive for
its heavy use of molasses. the
Majestic Steakhouse, situated in
the former Fitzpatrick Saloon – a
notorious speakeasy and bordello
during the prohibition era – now
serves up kansas city’s best
prime dry-aged steaks.

SEE THAT
at the heart of kansas city’s
sprawling and elegant country
club District is Country Club
Plaza. Developed in the 1920s
and inspired by the Spanish city
of Seville, the Plaza, as locals
call it, is dotted with tinkling
water fountains, boutiques and
restaurants. hipsters can head
over to historic Westport for
craft beers and funky boutiques.
art buffs won’t want to miss the
Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.
home to more 35,000 works of
art and free to the public, the
museum features collections
from ancient to modern.

DON’T MISS

kansas city’s answer to Memphis’s

Beale Street or Bourbon Street

in new Orleans, 18th and Vine,

was the birthplace of kansas city

jazz. notable for long jam sessions

with a bluesy vibe, kansas city

jazz is distinctive and most often

associated with legendary native,

charlie Parker. today, the district is

on the national Register of historic

Places and is noted as a hub of

african-american culture and

commerce. Before hitting the clubs

in the evening, make time for the

American Jazz Museum and the

Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.

AFTER DARK

Glittering chandeliers, scarlet walls,

cosy booths and the sultry sounds

of live jazz until 3am every day of

the year... Green Lady Lounge is a

kansas city institution that draws

the best musicians in the business.

THAT ONE TIME OF YEAR

Barbecue doesn’t get much more

serious than the American Royal

World Series of Barbecue, the

world’s largest barbecue and a

feature of the kansas city calendar

for 39 years. the three-day event

in September features live music,

cold beer and fierce competition

with more than 500 participating

chefs, pitmasters and amateurs. JOnathan t

aSleR

(SkYline); eV

an DiDieR

(B

aRBecUe); Jen aMat

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anD

);

SUZanne c

GRiM/ShUtteRS

tOck (alFReD

DOUcette)