Thursday, March 15, 2012

Kansas City

Last Sunday, my brother and I made a quick trip up to Kansas City. Our visit was brief, really only one night, in order to take in a Radiohead concert. When we finally made it to Kansas City, it was cold and rainy. But despite the weather, we managed to find some time for some sightseeing.

The first stop was the Liberty Memorial at the National World War I Museum. The memorial consists of a museum and a tower commemorating the first world war. Both sit on a hill overlooking the city, and provides a great overlook of downtown Kansas City. I awkwardly stood there, trying to shield the camera with an umbrella, to take a few pictures.
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The large building in the foreground is the old Union Train Station, which opened back in 1914. This was our next visit, since it would be indoors and away from the rain. This was taken from inside the station:
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From there we made the short drive into the Central Business District and checked into our hotel. The hotel was very conveniently located, just a few blocks away from the arena where Radiohead would be playing. The view from the window was ok, mostly of the convention center below.
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(I must admit that this was my brother's idea for a shot, and I stole it from him. I don't think he'd mind).

We then went to get dinner in the Power and Light District, and soon made our way to the arena. I was surprised to see protesters lined up across the street from the Sprint Center. How strange, who would protest Radiohead? Ah, but of course, it would turn out to be the crazy Westboro Baptist Church. Apparently there were no soldier's funerals going on that day, so they decided to protest here instead. Why? I thought it must have been because Radiohead are British, maybe?

But no, apparently, the church was there because the band is a bunch of "freak monkeys with mediocre tunes." They also noted that "God is undoing this nation and effecting all of your lives, with the moth that quietly eats the very fabric of your national garment. Radiohead is just such an event." Oh, so there. By the way, if I were to ever start a band, I want it to be named "Freak Monkeys."

It was strange to see the protesters in person, after hearing about them on the news over and over again. It seemed like they were being ignored by the people streaming into the arena.

Radiohead is one of my favorite bands, and I was thrilled that they'd be in concert in a nearby city. They were actually one of the last bands remaining on my bucket lists of acts to see in concert (the only one left, alas, is Weird Al Yankovic). The concert was awesome...

This is a shot taken during the concert:
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My brother and I were passing his camera back and forth, so he may have been the one who took this. I guess it's ok to post it here, since this site is called "Cormackphotos" and he's a Cormack...

We left the next morning and headed back to Arkansas. While my visit to Kansas City was short, I'll be making another trip up there soon...

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