Kansas City, Missouri. Ranked first in greeting card production in the country. How could you not want to go there? Although Kansas City isn't at the top of most people's to-visit list, it should be. It has tons of different types of food, sports games for everyone to attend, and tons of its own individual quirks. And, according to The Huffington Post, it is one of the top cities that you should visit in your twenties.
Among food connoisseurs, Kansas City is one of the top places for barbeque. Said Kansas City barbeque was born in the early 1900's. Henry Perry, who operated out of a trolley barn in the African American neighborhood, is the father of this modern barbeque. He slow-cooked ribs and sold them for 25 cents a slab on a sheet of newspaper. His restaurant is still open to this day, over 100 years later. But barbeque isn't the only thing that Kansas City is well known for. It has copious amounts of legendary food. George Brett, a retired Major League Baseball player, had his wedding reception at Stroud's. Stroud's is a restaurant that has been around since 1933, and it will forever be famous for its fried chicken.
There are three major teams in Kansas City. The Kansas City Chiefs, which are a football team, the Kansas City Royals, which are a baseball team, and Sporting Kansas City, which is a soccer team. That is only the Major league, there are a lot of minor league teams. There's a minor league women's soccer team, baseball team, hockey team, women's football team, men's soccer team, indoor soccer team, rugby team, and an Australian Rules football team. It seems like no matter what your cup of tea is, there is some kind of sporting event for you.
And then there are the things that make Kansas City unique. Little things that no other city has. One of these things is The Plaza. No, it is not related to the hotel that Eloise lives in. It was the first shopping center in the world to accommodate shoppers arriving by car. The plaza is a shopping center that has high-end stores, restaurants, entertainment venues, and some offices. The neighborhood surrounding it consists of high-end housing. Around Christmas time each year The Plaza gets decked out with Christmas lights galore with an annual lighting ceremony. On top of The Plaza, there are tons of other places to go for a good time. Kansas City is home to the world's largest pub crawl, Crawl for Cancer, and there is no shortage of bars to attend. Along with other weekly events that go on in the town, there is rarely a shortage of something to do.
Visiting Kansas City is something that should be on everyone's bucket list. It's a city with one of the lowest costs of living in the country, has a great night life, has a plethora of activities for everyone, and has the best barbeque. Time to pick up and head towards the Mississippi!