The Pork Belt
The next morning, I decided to go check out KC. By this time, I had asked several of the fine residents of the eastern suburbs about this West Port. "All manner of weirdos go there" was the common refrain.
In search of my fellow weirdos, I decided to check it out. It certainly didn't look like Times Square to me, more like your standard artsy area inhabited by weirdos like me, but the kind who think twice about jaywalking.
While the area directly south of I70 (down the street to the west of McGee) was pretty rundown and desolate, when I got to around 40th street the area looked pretty good. Nice old brick apartment buildings with green areas. Most of the ones to the south were restored, but most of the ones to the north were in various stages of disrepair.
Many buildings were advertising lofts for rent, however, there appeared to be many more lofts than people who could ever inhabit them. I later drove around the desolate area looking for good shots. I thought I took some, but I can't find them now. However, from a photographic perspective if from no other, KC looks pretty interesting. In the words of an interviewee who asked that their shop remain nameless, "KC is known for its BBQ and its Chiefs. And, somewhat for its jazz. It's a dying city." I asked them about West Port's evil reputation, and how it compares to Hollywood or Berkeley. They told me there was no comparison, "it is the Midwest after all." Because most of the students in KC are there going to med school, they don't have time for Berkeley-style amusements.
On my way out of town, I took the elevator to the top of the Liberty monument which, at just $2, is a good value. The shots above are of the monument and the view looking toward Union Station in the foreground and downtown KC in the background.
Posted to BloggingAcrossAmerica at September 12, 2003 10:21 PM
