Kansas City

Our friends Harold and Coral had visited KC last year and said the BBQ was excellent.  Well, they probably said better than excellent for it truly is.  We tried to get into a downtown restaurant, but the wait on Friday night was way too long.  So we headed back toward the RV with Anna Lee fumbling on her cell phone to try to locate a restaurant around us.  Literally as we drove up, the cell phone listed L.C. Bar-B-Q, which was right across the highway.  It was highly recommended so we decided to try it.  Framed on the wall were articles from national newspapers extolling L.C.’s, even Anthony Bourdain raved about it.

Not the best of neighborhoods, there was a policeman leaning inside.  We ventured into this small diner and ordered the most amazing bbq beef and chicken takeout we had ever had.  We were thrilled that there was so much, so we could look forward to leftovers.

To continue the food portion of this post, next we had lunch at Arthur Bryant’s.  Anna Lee was unimpressed by her turkey sandwich but Jerry enjoyed his burnt ends (the well done ends of brisket).

Lastly we went to Jack Stack’s.  Sadly, they were out of lamb but Anna Lee’s chicken was delicious and the side of roasted carrots yummy and Jerry’s brisket and ribs truly finger-lickin’. (no photo)

Now for our ranking: #1 L.C.’s (moving to a new location), #2 Jack’s, and #3 Arthur.  With more time we would have continued our dedicated research.

We did do more than eat in KC.  We took another recommendation from Harold and Coral and went to two special museums that are under one roof.   These are the American Jazz Museum and the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.

The American Jazz Museum is in the 18th and Vines  District, the principal Negro district of KC in the 1920s and 30s.  Our visit began with a film of the early days in the district.  In the days of segregation, this was the social, and later political, center for the black community.  Here there were businesses, jobs and educational opportunities.  Here was where the churches, clubs, and dance halls were.

In 1920 there were 30,000 blacks in KC.  Living conditions were crowded.  All blacks went to Lincoln College Preparatory Academy where teachers challenged the students, many of whom went on to attend black colleges.  As the residents reached adulthood, they became more aware of the discrimination and resentment grew.  The men’s and women’s social clubs became centers of  activism.

The Call Newspaper was a source of information and a weapon for change.  It told of social events, listed obituaries (not listed in white newspapers) and shared information on action for equality.  The stores in town were glad to take Negroes money but not let them try on clothes before purchase.  A boycott spread by the newspaper ended that. 

With the onset of WWII there were opportunities to demonstrate black support for America, but American did not reciprocate as segregation was the norm.

Jazz was one of the unique sources of pride and solidarity for blacks and it was an entry into mainstream society.  Jazz is a combo of American Black sacred and secular music. The 1920s was the Golden Age of Jazz and Kansas City was a hub, all the great performers came here.

One exhibit in the museum is The John Baker Film Collection of soundies.  These are played on coin operated machines showing music and dancing without the Hollywood slant of stereotypes.

In The Studio visitors who want a hands on experience into the music can learn and compare harmony, mix, melody at sound stations.  Jerry tried his hand at sound mixing without great success.

Special exhibits feature the First Lady of Jazz, Ella Fitzgerald, showing that jazz voices equal instruments

Louis Satchmo Armstrong was the first black featured on the cover of Time Magazine (1949).   This was one of his trumpets.

Charlie Parker, The Bird, grew up in KC.  He was so influential that when he died in 1955, one commentator said “Bird lives".

Sharing the museum building is the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum providing the history of African Americans in baseball from post-Civil War to late 1950s.  In 1863 baseball became national pastime and free blacks played.  Right after the Civil War, more blacks joined teams but by 1867 they were excluded from teams with white players.  The end of Reconstruction ended the few opportunities for them to play.  The exception to this, in 1884, was  M. F. Toledo who was the first (and basically the last for eight decades) Negro player in the major leagues.  In 1888 the Cuban Giants had black players from outside America.  Those players were treated better than American born blacks.  When a manager wanted to hire a black player, it was suggested he remove the request rather than having it denied.  This was a “Gentleman”s Agreement.”  

Black Leagues began in the early 1900s.  In 1910 there were sixty teams in the east and south.  By 1920 there were six official Negro Leagues.  Baseball became one of the largest black owned businesses. Rube Foster, a player and administrator, formed the first successful Negro League in KC.   White stadium owners were happy with the Negro Leagues because their games were very popular and large rental fees could be charged.

By the 1920s Black players were celebrities in black communities.

Baseball was an important  occasion for members of the black community.  Ten thousand people would attend a game.  Pastors shortened Sunday services to let people go to the game.  Fans dressed up for games.  In Kansas City the players also had a dress code, wearing suits and ties to the games.  How you presented yourself mattered as did your reputation.

The Kansas City Monarchs won the first Negro League World Series is 1924.

Teams not in leagues barnstormed traveling around to play.  They needed to find places where Negroes could stay and eat.   This was a typical room that a ball player would have in a "first class" hotel.

A Canadian owner said Negroes were subhuman.  The next year he welcomed them as players. 

Black celebrities performed at the games.  Jesse Owens raced and Lena Horne sang.

Many records were set by black players first.  Not credited was Bill Wright who achieved a batting average of  .402 in 1939.  Instead Ted Williams has the record for being the first to break .400 with his .406 two years later.   James “Cool Papa” Bell holds the record for base running and is considered one of the fastest men ever to play the game but was not credited for this achievement.

The Depression cut the number of leagues.  Yet, in 1930, the Negro League had the first night game, five years before white leagues.

Special tribute is paid to Satchel Paige, considered by many the best player ever.  He was the best paid at the time and drew up to 46,000 fans to a game.  This was the depiction of Paige on the mound at the museum. 

While Josh Gibson, a power hitter, was called the Black Babe Ruth, Babe Ruth was called the White Josh Gibson.

Finally, Happy Chandler, baseball commissioner, overturned the bar against black players.  This led to Branch Rickie of the Brooklyn Dodgers to hire Jackie Robinson as the first recognized major league black player.  Robinson started at a farm club in Montreal and later, playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers, won Rookie of the Year in 1947. Next came Larry Doby for the American League Cincinnati Indians.  Satchel Paige also played for the Indians but he was already past his great years.  By 1959 all teams had black players.


A baseball field with life-size players beckons photographers.

 Here is manager Buck O'Neil watching his team.

Outfielder Oscar Charleston is waiting to see if the batter, Martin Dihigo can get it out of the infield.

These two museums are of interest to more than jazz and baseball fans, they are well-told lessons in American history.

Columbus, IN

Anna Lee had read an article about a small midwest town known for its architecture but she could neither find the article nor remember the name of the town.  In a conversation with her cousin Barbara, known for suggesting good places to visit, Barbara mentioned Columbus, IN and its architecture.  The bulb finally went on in Anna Lee’s brain and she knew they were talking about the same town. 

This really is a unique town that has a right to brag about its architecture.  Its motto is, "Unexpected, Unforgetable.”

But first a tidbit of trivia.  The town was originally named Tiptonia after General Tipton.  In 1921 the town chose to change its name to Columbus.  Tipton was so mad he left.  He also got even.  When he was highway commissioner he built the first bypass ever.  It went around Columbus.

Another interesting point for RV owners.  Columbus is home to Cummins Engines, which power many motorhomes including ours.  Here is a picture of a nice clean new one.

In Cummins headquarters, stands the Exploded Engine by Rudolph de Harak.

 Now back to the architecture.  As mentioned above, Cummins is the key employer in town.  M. Irwin Miller, head of Cummins, lived in the middle of town in a lovely Italianate brick house with a rather fancy yard.

A church was to be built across the street from his home.  As an art patron, Irwin wanted a building to enjoy looking at so he persuaded Eleil Saarinen to design the church.  This was in 1942.

Next, Eleil’s son Eero designed the headquarters for the Irwin Union Bank.

Miller realized that in order to bring top talent to his company he would have to help the town to be worthy of them.  He liked what Winston Churchill said, “We shape our buildings, and afterwards our buildings shape us.”

When the school district wanted to built new schools, he offered the School Board a unique opportunity.  He would pay for the architectural designs if the Board would build the schools.  He made sure the designs were within the Boards budget.  This is one of several specially designed schools in the town.

More buildings followed making Columbus, with a population of 45,000, the 6th in the nation for architectural innovation and design.  Smithsonian Magazine called the town a “veritable museum of modern architecture.”  Names like I. M. Pei, Henry Moore, Dale Chihuly and the Saarinens are all over town on buildings and as public art. After getting a map at the Visitors Center and watching a brief video on the history of architecture in the town, we went out to enjoy this incomparable town.

The County Jail by Don M. Hisaka

The County Courthouse by Isaac Hodgson

The Bartholomew County Memorial for Veterans by Thompson & Rose

The ATT Switching Station by Paul Cannon

Columbus East High School by Mitchell-Giurgola

The Commons by Koetter Kim & Assoc.  (this is a great place for kids)

Chaos 1 inside the Commons by Jean Tinguely

Crack the Whip by Joe Saylors stands in a park

Even bicycle racks have a local connection.  The signature C is all over town.

Cummins has even tried its hand at racing.  This Cummins diesel participated in the 1934 Indy 500 race.  It did not do too well because it was made as a two cycle engine to reduce weight.

We left Columbus over the Robert N. Stewart bridge.

We then drove from Columbia, IN to Columbus Township, MO where we enjoyed a delicious anniversary dinner at Sycamore and walked around looking at more urban sculpture.  When Yahoo was asked how many cities are named Columbus, the answer was “a lot.”

Indianapolis Motor Speedway by Jerry

Jerry's by-line

Years ago, before the annual Memorial Day 500 mile race was featured on television, radio was the only way to follow the event from flag to flag.  Herb Cain, a writer for the San Francisco Chronicle, did not like the race and used to point out that, if the cars left City Hall, some of them would have broken down before they made it out of The City, much less 500 miles.  Being a young man who loved cars and racing, the Indy was still a must do for me.

I was always partial to A.  J. Foyt and was thrilled when he won in 1961 and again in 1964.  Family, raising children and work took the place of the Indy in the great scheme of things but I always wanted to tour the Brickyard as it is called and actually take a turn on the track.  Well, that hope was finally realized when we arrived at the Speedway.

I was told, by Speedway representatives that, when I entered the track’s address in the GPS, be sure to enter the city as Speedway, not Indianapolis.  Speedway, it seems, has its own zip code, post office and is a small city with a bit more than a speedway in it.

Our tour started with a visit to the museum where many of the winning cars are displayed.  This is the 2015 winner.  Also in the museum is the famous Borg Warner Trophy which carries a relief of the face of each of the 100 winners.  They ran out of space in the 80s so they added a base for more faces.  They now have enough room to go to 2031.

Wandering among the cars brought back lots of memories  like the view of these Penske cars, winners in 1993, 1994 and 2001.

We were taken on a bus ride through the complex, to the press rooms,

 the new pagoda which houses the scoring computers and other facilities,

the pit area and then the winners news conference stand where first, second and third give their statements to the press.

Finally, we were then taken on a single lap of the track.  The bus was somewhat slower than the 240 mph that the Indy cars make and, in fact, we were told that in the time of our lap, a race car would do about 17 laps.  It was still a thrill.

This is the view down the main straight.  The entrance to the pit area is on the left and this is where the driver who wants to make a pit stop slows down to a mere 60 mph.

We learned the story behind the winner drinking milk.  It seems that Louis Meyer’s mother believed it was healthy to drink milk so her son did so at the end of his first victory in 1936.  A smart PR person from the dairy industry saw that and made a deal that the winner would drink either regular, skim or buttermilk on the winner’s stand and they do to this day.

The only “brick” part of the track is a single three foot wide strip going across it and it is preserved so that it can still be called the brickyard.

Anna Lee and I enjoyed having our photos taken standing on the bricks while others in our group “kissed” the bricks

 The starter’s stand is just above the bricks and is the home of what is now celebrity starters.  The starter just waves a green flag and then usually leaves the stand.  He or she is given only one instruction: DON’T DROP IT.

The drivers don’t watch for the flag however as they don’t want to take their eyes off the car in front of them so the track has traffic signals on the wall within the drivers' field of vision.  When the light goes green, the race is on.

What was interesting was that the Hulman family still owns the entire complex even though Tony Hulman, who used to say “Gentlemen, start your engines” died in 1977.

First his wife and now his daughter became CEOs.








Here are a few of the winning cars that were in the museum.  The first is a Marmon, the first one to win in 1911.  A lot has changed over the years.  As an aside, there have been only 100 winners from 1911 to 2016 because there were no races while WW II was being fought.  This year marked the actual 100th running.

We parked the RV in a parking lot next to a small  home so that we could unhook the tow car and drive it into the museum parking lot.  The house is very modest but we assume it is sufficient for the Hulman family who stay there for a few weeks a year.