Travel Kansas City

Well I survived my first "vacation" away from my baby...yes it took me 10 months to muster up the courage to leave her. It's not like my mom didn't raise 3 kids of her own and manage to keep us all alive, I am just a control freak and had to let go. It was much needed and even though we went away, Kansas City's short 3 hour drive made it easier for me. Let's just say everyone survived and we all had a great time, grandma and baby too :) i bet she liked getting up in the middle of the night. HahaWe have some great friends with even better connections and we are so grateful they were able to "hook" us up while we were there! It made it so we didn't have to make hardly any decisions because that is what we both do all day long! We owe them big time! So I am going to share the suggestions I was given for you all to enjoy. We did not make them all because the idea of a get away was not to come home more tired than we left :) The hotel I wanted to stay at was booked so we ended up staying at the Marriott Country Club Plaza, which was just what we needed and more! 1 1/2 blocks from the Plaza, easy walking distance, or take their free shuttle which will pick you up when you call too. Who wants to worry about parking?? With a restaurant, Starbucks, and reasonable rates, all in all it was a great hotel. We started Friday evening checking in, cleaning up and headed to Bar Rossa in Hotel Sorella (where I wanted to stay.) Clean, cool, and modern. The bar/restaurant is on the 7th floor and with this view, you do not feel like you are in Missouri.

We were hungry so we decide upon a charcuterie tray which was almost too pretty to eat! Delish! With Happy Hour until 5:30pm it is a sure stop on your trip.

Dinner reservations Friday night was at a place called Bluestem! So trendy and romantic, great place to try new food! Dimly lit, open kitchen, and percise perfection when creating each dish. One of a kind stop. We did the 5 course route, which allows you to choose 1 option from each course. They also have wine pairings if you are up for it. I started with a gazpacho soup. Cool and refreshing.

Highly recommeded visit bluestemkc.com and book it on OpenTable if you have it! Best app ever. Saturday was set aside for shopping the Plaza, relaxing and once again dinner reservations. The mid-day perk....touring Boulevard Brewery. Breakfast on a patio, coffee without disturbance, and my hubby got my full undivided attention! So nice. At this point I have only texted my mom once and FaceTimed once too! I think I am doing great :) The weather was perfect and after shopping for a bit we were told to hit up the newest BBQ hot spot in KC. You do NOT go there without eating what they are famous for. Q39 is a open and industrial feel with a good vibe. We really were not that hungry but before touring a brewery we thought we should eat a little something. We split the sliders and french fries and left not a single piece. I really can't judge their BBQ skills without ordering the real deal, so I will leave that to whoever goes next!

One thing I saw everywhere I went and think everyone should jump on the bandwagon was water in recycled glass bottles on your table! No waiting for waiters to refill your glasses and such a great concept! I know of a few restaurants in Des Moines that do this but I wish more would join them. Next stop, the brewery tour. This would be a first for me. I have mentioned many times, Boulevard is easily my favorite wheat beer. With more and more craft beer popping up in every city, it appears the competition has nothing on them. Thank you Ali, Andrew, and the guys at Templeton Rye for the amazing expierence! *Rye on Rye will be made using old Templeton barrels.

Because this was all things sans baby, a nap was in store for us! Who knew I could still nap like a baby :) Thank you Rent the Runway for my fabulous dress! If you have no clue what I am talking about...google it. Best invention ever. Rent a dress, wear it, then return it all for a small fee. Perfect for the people who hate wearing things over and over and over. We ended our trip with dinner at Gram and Dun. Awesome patio and food, I am waiting for the day it comes to Des Moines! I decided to step outside of the box and order something I normally wouldn't. I ordered the pork porterhouse ( yes I live in Iowa and I don't eat pork...that much.) The description states it is grilled, smoked creamy grits, goat cheese, beets, pork sauce, and caramel corn. Don't ask me why or how but it worked! It was so freaking good, I almost cleared my plate! As if I hadn't had enough, dessert is my favorite part of the meal so we split the Gram and Dun bar. OMG!!! I can't even stand it, it was to die for...I still dream about it!

I still have a "list" of places to hit up, so I will save it for our next getaway :) If you get to any of these places before I get back, let me know what you think!! 1.) CaVa 2.) Harry's Bar and Tables 3.) Hotel Rieger and Exchange 4.) Manifesto 5.) Anton's KC 6.) Nara

I survived, my baby survived and we had a great trip away :) Success!