Diversity Rules Magazine

3 Diversity Rules Magazine October 2018 e only things I knew about Kansas City prior to visiting, were the tales of legendary BBQ and the Chiefs. I went with an open mind and little expectations. e city has been generating a lot of positive buzz as of late, so I thought I'd see what all the talk was about. I found the city to be on the cusp of a breakthrough so to speak. A sleeping dragon ready for its day in the sun. e next "It City" - Nashville being the current "It City" and where I reside. For starters, Kansas City airport is literally the smallest international airport I've ever been to. But that will all change in the next few years as it undergoes a ma- jor transformation. Icelandair just began flying direct routes to its capi- tal city of Reykjavik and other routes are being added regularly. e 21c Museum Hotel served as my home for the weekend. e small chain is known for embrac- ing the LGBT community and is located in cities that aren't always known for being LGBT-friendly destinations (Des Moines, Lexington, Fayetteville, among others), so staying here is always a safe and comfortable option. is particular property is located in the historic Savoy Hotel in downtown Kansas City. e hotel opened this summer and is led by a welcoming, knowledge- able, and quite attractive staff. e one downside of the property is the fitness center, which is has serious acoustic problems. Furthermore, the free weights are located in a dark corner of the gym, a problem that can easily be fixed but is a bit uncomfortable currently. Having arrived a bit later in the day, I decided to stay on property for dinner. e hotel's restaurant, e Savoy, doesn't serve your stan- dard hotel fare. I began my meal with a deli- cious steak tartare, followed by the fish of the day, which was cooked to perfection. e most excit- ing part of the meal however, was the Baked Alaska. I have not seen that item on a menu outside of a cruise ship and even though I tend to skip dessert, I felt the need to give it a try. I'm glad I did. It was absolutely delicious. I even convinced the table adjacent to me to order some. e only thing it was missing was the ta- bleside flambé. e next morning, I began my tour of Kansas City with a brief visit to the Kauffman Center for the Perform- ing Arts. As I was approaching the building, I thought to myself how similar it looked to the Sydney Opera House, and sure enough, it was designed by the same architect. e Kauffman Center is one of the most technically advanced performing arts centers in the na- tion, with each of its two major con- cert halls designed to be acoustically perfect. e halls share a common area which the designer hoped would serve as a space where people attend different shows can comingle. A short drive away is the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, which houses more than 35,000 works of art. e building itself is quite impressive and architecturally, it reminded me of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Recently, the Nelson opened the American Indian galleries, which are the largest collection devoted to this category of art in the world. Another wonderful component of the museum is the outdoor Sculpture Park which contains more than 30 sculptures. Watch out for the sprinklers though. My guide and I received a com- plimentary shower while walk- ing through the park, but it was welcomed given the intense heat of the summer. All of this culture got me hungry, so I heard about a fairly new establishment that served up great BBQ called Char Bar. e majority of the meal didn't blow me away; I found it on par with BBQ I can find Kansas City - Con't on page 7 Pride Journeys Kansas City By Joey Amato

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