KC-mini vacation June 21-23 2009 Hotel location, great eats

Dear Fellow Travelers,

My wife %26amp; I will be driving down to KC,MO from a Des Moines, IA wedding. We are from Oregon, so we are clueless on where to stay and eat.

Hotels:

I am trying to find a great deal on priceline, due to a small budget. I bid $70 for a 3* in crowncntr, country club. I want to find a CLEAN, and not a big chain. I will continue to try to bid higher, but I am not sure about the different areas of town. Which are safe? Is it far to drive to other places? Hotel Phillips look Fabulous, but I am not sure we can afford it. I am still in college. :) Should I wait longer to the vacation date to book or bid, to get a better deal, or do the prices go up? WE are open to suggestions.

EATS:

What%26#39;s this I hear about Fabulous BBQ? We love BBQ! Where is a great place to go? What else should we try that is well known in KC?

Things to do:

WE are renting a car so we can be mobile. What are KC must see or do%26#39;s?

KC-mini vacation June 21-23 2009 Hotel location, great eats

The plaza area is a good place to stay. Crown center wouldn%26#39;t be bad but I%26#39;d probably pick the plaza for more things to see and do in the area.

As for eats...Jack%26#39;s Stack or Gates BBQ both are good BBQ%26#39;s. Hereford House has some good steaks.

Things to do.. Royals, Chiefs, KC Zoo, Starlight, Worlds of Fun, Truman Library, Union Station, Nelson Art Gallery and the Liberty Memorial are a few things.

The Power and Light district might be something to check out too. A little to young for my age but lots of activity there.

Shopping...Crown Center, the Plaza, Zona Rosa and the Legends.

KC-mini vacation June 21-23 2009 Hotel location, great eats

When will you be in KC? We have done priceline twice for $40 and got the Hyatt Crown Center this past weekend we got the Holiday Inn Aladdin for $50- i was very impressed with hotel

I would say downtown, Crown Center or the plaza- the Q hotel in wesport might be good for you if young and like the night life

katieinkc,

Thanks for the info! We will be there Sunday, June 21 --%26gt; Tuesday, June 23, 2009. I rebid up to $70 yesterday for the Crowne Center and the Plaza... No luck! I keep hearing about all of these successful bids, but I think I might have to fork out the big bucks because we are going in June.

WE are not looking for the ';night life'; unless it has dessert and coffee. :0)

randjm,

Thanks for the helpful info. We will look into all the places you suggested. Now we have a better idea of what is available. When you mentioned shopping, what kind of shopping? My wife wants to know if it is mall shopping, or cute boutiques. She is all about small local shops that have ';Cute things'; in them and not all the big chains. Would you happen to know?

We just got back from a weekend in KC and we stayed in Overland Park at the Courtyard by Marriott. I won this on priceline for $40 a night back in January. Nice place. Last month, we stayed at the Marriott in OP for $46 through priceline. Overland Park is about midway between downtown and the Legends and Zona Rosa, I think. There are good places to eat, but you might have to drive a couple of miles. Have you ever been to biddingfortravel.com? It is a web site that gives lots of good info and assistance for bidding on priceline. They can even give you a bidding strategy. Just make sure that you read the FAQs carefully. Good luck on your bidding, and have a great mini-vacation!!

Most are big shopping malls. Crown Center (www.crowncenter.com) is an indoor shopping mall with lots of big names stores but it also has a few small shops. The Plaza (www.countryclubplaza.com), Zona Rosa (www.zonarosa.com) and the Legends(www.legendsshopping.com)are outdoor malls/shopping areas, with a good variety of stores, restaurants,and entertainment. If she%26#39;s looking more for different stores I%26#39;d suggest some of the downtown areas of surrounding cities, like Independence(www.theindependencesquare.com) and Lee%26#39;s Summit (www.downtownls.org). The Waldo area might be what she%26#39;s looking for to. It%26#39;s been years since I%26#39;ve been there. Here%26#39;s a websites for it..www.waldokc.org/waldo.html

Thanks! So much to see in so little time!

If she is looking for cute shops, you need to check out downtown Lee%26#39;s Summit. The whole area has been recently updated and is full of family owned shops and boutiques. No chain stores here. This area is struggling because it was under construction for so long. They really need the business!

As far as BBQ goes,Arthur Bryants is my favorite bbq here with oklahoma joe%26#39;s in a close 2nd. I love Bryants sauces and sandwiches, and Joe%26#39;s has the best ribs I have ever had. Always consistent and perfection. They both have websites if you%26#39;d like to google them.

crown center was suggested - this is a very old place- i would skip- not much there anymore. KC is filled with chain stores