Day 6: Kansas City to E-ville

Day 6: Kansas City to E-ville

Not adjusted for wind chill

THB and DB sleep in, THB heads to the fitness center two blocks away: it is COLD! Come back with two Starbucks decaf au laits and NYT, $8 (the good coffee place has 10 people in line shortly after opening). It is still COLD!

We decide to walk to the River Market in search of a late breakfast and dinner for flight home. Mini baguette and an almond muffin and coffee for breakfast, olive bread and hummus for dinner.

Back to the hotel, pack and store the bags, and get the hotel shuttle to drop us exactly 5 miles away at Asiatica (5 is their limit). DB buys two scarves, and we each put one on to use because it is COLD! 

How cold was it?

With our scarves wrapped tight, we walk somewhere around 2 miles to Port Fonda for lunch. Yes, THB and DB are giving it another go. Good news: they have turned off the music! Even better, this time we don't bother ordering drinks (the food comes very fast, so we would be having drinks for dessert). Take a look at the chile relleno plate below...when THB asked the waitress what the chile relleno of the day was, she replied: it has peas and some meat inside. OOOOPS, no mention of the two over easy things resting nicely on the plate. They're good!! $44. They have a line waiting to get in as we're leaving.

Excellent, and a small portion for $9

Tamal (not a typo) pie for DB

We call the hotel and decide to wait inside the restaurant because it is COLD! 

The wind is howling now

The shuttle drops us off in the gallery district, we're trying to see if anyone has a Lauren Mabry bowl; no luck. So we decide to tour a few more of the galleries we didn't hit the first time (remember, it was raining). While walking around, it is COLD!  

Christa and Kevin are on our flight home, about 60% of the flight appears to be NCECA escapees

C&K escaping a fire (true story)

No "Slone" this time

From there we walk back to the hotel, and on the way pick up a loaf of the Farm-to-Market grain bread,at the market then sit in the lobby awaiting a decent time to try our first Uber ride.

Peregrine's lingerie shop: she's local artist and a contestant on an art reality show (not hosted by The Donald)

The lobby had some action going: the chef comes by and notices our Farm-to-Market bread and explains he loves their bread and he has been trying to get them to open a retail outlet (the bakery is near the hotel). A few farmers markets have the bread intermittently, not the River Market though.

Sliced

A little while later, a wedding party starts gathering: first some guests, then the parents of the bride, then the bride, then the groom hustling out while the bride hides, then more of the wedding party, then the bride takes off in the shuttle, then the rest of the wedding party (after hearing they need to change locations, it's snowing where they are taking the wedding pics....it is COLD!)

Bride (blurry) and Bread (in focus)

Finally, time to call Uber: he's 1 minute away. Actually, he's right outside. Off to the airport, $23 including tip vs the call-for-the-cab to come from offsite and $55 ride from the airport to the hotel.

And, it is COLD! Snowing on the ride to the airport.

Great, we're TSA-Pre and roar through security....no we don't! The hummus is more than 3.5 oz, and TSA confiscates it. After security, DB finds hummus, veggies, and several other items to augment our dinner. THB is now confident we can feed everyone for 3 rows around us.

The flight arrives early and then we stand in the aisle for 15 minutes while Southwest tries to find someone in the terminal to get the jetway attached to the plane. Get back to loft in time to see W's lose late to the Spurs. The NBA finals will actually be during the semi-finals.

The weather: 60s and mild, no wind.


Book Review: Fates and Furies, Laura Groff: A "his perspective/her perspective" with all truths told from her perspective novel. Lots of momentum, exciting events, hot sex, crimes, success, Oedipal fantasies. Not as moving (or as long) in the quietude of the writing as A Little Life, more a very good example of a great summer beach read. Recommended

Day 5: Kansas City

Day 5: Kansas City


On day 1, we asked for two Keurig decafs for the room, and here's where we are now:

It's not just the towels that is growing exponentially (though the creamers have disappeared totally)

Weather: You probably thought THB had forgotten to put in the daily weather. NOT SO! THB was just not going to bother you with the consistency of cold in the morning, clear air, brisk, cool in the evening, and one lousy intermittent rainstorm. Today, THB has something different to report: IT SNOWED!! Light snow flurries, nothing collecting on the ground. Sunny by late afternoon.

Pretend you can see the snow...THB could see it

THB runs out after an in-house Ambassador workout to a different coffee shop for a decaf cafe au lait for DB. Not bad...and very cold out with intermittent rain drops (and THB is wearing his work out clothes, extra light weight).  NYT and coffee $7

Breakfast at Reserve (not a single other person in the dining room): THB gets it his way: berries and yogurt with a light dusting of granola, dry sourdough; DB has oatmeal and coffee, $30

Our usual trek up the street to the bus, leaves at 8:40. Down to The Bottoms we go, a low area below downtown that used to be the site of the livestock transactions. Now it is turning over to cheap spots for art galleries, and there is an upscale NCECA show at Haw Contemporary and pop-up like exhibition by two artists at Plug Projects.

Haw:

We're liking the soft kiln brick look as display

The new hyper-modernism in painting: showing smart phones

Plug:

Joey as Jesus, he claimed to THB that it was just a role

And his way into the hearts of all men

Next up is a return visit to the Kemper Museum, we were here in 2013. While the large exhibition hall is full of ceramics, and attached were artist studios, THB found it pretty dull, unlike in 2013 when the main exhibit, on maps, was excellent as was the food in the cafe (THB is clearly reaching his ceramics absorption level).

More soft kiln bricks as display (THB no longer cares what is on top of the bricks)

There's enough time to slip in a half hour collectors house visit, and the place is full to the gills of works on paper, some ceramics, some odd sculptures (e.g., a "guitar" that appeared to play music - diaphragms moving in and out - and no sound). Tour opinions mixed: some really liked all the antiques and zebra striped dining room chairs; most felt the place needed some serious pairing down or change of wall paint. THB liked a lot of the works on paper; since this is a ceramics tour, maybe the group for the most part doesn't look at 2D work?

Chris Brown on paper

Bartlett piece in Benesse House museum on Naoshima is a one terrific painting (and the row boat down below on the beach makes is totally unique)

Lunch at Q39, a bbq spot. THB and DB swear they have eaten here, yet it wasn't open in 2013. There must be a double to this place somewhere else in the US. Buffet style, THB has cole slaw, small piece of corn bread, few thin slices of brisket (not fatty enough) and a part of a chicken breast, iced tea.

After lunch is another Belger gallery, this one called the Belger Arts Center. A number of exhibitions set up just for NCECA.

A pop-up for NCECA at the Vulpes Bastille gallery, co-curated by Susan Beiner who we visited at her home/studio in Phoenix and saw a large installation piece at the Lawrence Art Center.

Susan on the left (duh!)

D took a ton of pictures with this monster lens

Another gallery visit, this time featuring a Chinese artist, Bai Ming, who needed a translator, and is prolific in many styles. Through some weird international agreement with China, no prices on hand.

One last collectors house visit, this time at a local artist's third floor loft walk-up. You should recognize the dog (he was in a gallery two days ago):

NFS; THB and DB agree we should get a bowl for the loft to resonate with the sewer pipe going to the beach

The odd lighting is from leds in the back of the display case

the guy making the airplancs

LEDs aglow

The new version of donuts (or are they cupcakes?)

The last event of the tour for THB and DB is the going away dinner at Bristol Seafood Grill. Food very ordinary, nothing of note to report. We say goodbye to the tour members on hand (some had departed earlier in the day). Tomorrow we're on our own, and then home to E-ville.