Since our hotel was situated near a few of the places we wanted to check out, we started the day with a lovely walk on another pleasant morning. We pinched ourselves at how lucky we had gotten with the weather in Wichita. We started off with a delicious breakfast at HomeGrown Wichita, a local restaurant whose motto of "Cultivate Kindness" seemed to permeate the place. Our server was named Maddie; she lives in Dodge City, KS but goes to school at Wichita State University (wish we had known to ask her about her thoughts on Ivanka's commencement address!) It was a morning that allowed for such conversations. While she was yet another Kansan who was incredulous that we would leave Florida to visit her modest state, her enthusiasm for our quest to see the 50 states and her excitement at having once been to FL (rainy Destin during last year's spring break) just added to my incredulity that anyone would ever pass up the chance to spend time in this state and with these people.
After breakfast, we walked the neighborhood, finding the Chester Lewis Reflection Square Park, a "pocket park" named after a local NAACP leader and created in the space where the Woolworth Building once stood. The sculpture of the integrated lunch counter wasn't created specifically to memorialize the Dockum sit-in, but it has been lovingly adopted by the city for that purpose. Galyn Vesey, who participated in the peaceful protest, remarked on its 60th anniversary, "I like listening to a tape of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. speaking at Kansas State. He says, 'When the students sit down, they are standing up for the best American dream.' I can't listen to that enough."
Next stop was the Orpheum Theater, opened in 1922. While the venue hasn't yet resumed the live shows and special events that occur there, it was easy to get a glimpse inside. Since their marquee was one of our first indicators that we were going to like this Wichita, we wanted to at least see it up close and in person.
Before checking out of our hotel and hitting the road, we popped down to the basement where the speakeasy Dockum is housed. Also closed, we weren't able to experience it in its full glory. Still, it was fun to explore its nooks and crannies with nobody else around.
Our last stop in Wichita was the one we were most disappointed was closed for tours - the Frank Lloyd Wright Allen House, one of the last he designed before he died in 1959. We have toured his homes in each of the states we have visited that house one. Still, because they are often nestled into lovely neighborhoods such as this one (College Hill), it's usually not that difficult to get a sense of the home even without the formal tour. That said, when Dana went down the narrow space between the Allen House and its very much lived in next door neighbor, to get a better photo of the pool he desperately wanted to clean, we knew that it was only our white privilege that was keeping the old lady giving him the side eye through the fence from calling the cops.
"Wichita Lineman" lilted through our speakers one final time, as we said goodbye to this lovely city to which I would definitely return and headed out on our scenic drive to KC. We had opted to take the Flint Hills National Scenic Byway rather than the highway because... why not? The pastures in this part of Kansas are so lush and expansive that cattle ranchers from as far as Texas bring their cows here to graze. Part of exploring a state is exploring those parts that even some local residents have never checked out. At one point, we listened to the public radio station that broadcasts information and history about the trail and delighted in the tidbits and advice shared in the relaxed tone of someone who anticipates that very few people are likely going to listen to this recording.
We drove the entire thing, from Cassaday to Council Grove, where we stopped for a late lunch in the Hays House, open since 1857 and the longest continually operating restaurant west of the Mississippi. The new owner, who acquired the property in January, just in time to have to shut it down for a few months, gave us a warm welcome and urged us to come back for a drink as he finally got his liquor license approved. Here's hoping the restaurant that survived the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression can survive 2020.
We arrived to our beautiful historic hotel, originally opened in 1928 as a luxury apartment building, and settled in. We will be here for three nights, the longest chapter of our stay. Though we are now adding to our appreciation of Missouri, we will continue to make forays into Kansas (Topeka and Abilene are the two cities we will visit tomorrow). The owner of the Hays House, while sad we wouldn't be able to return for breakfast, lunch and dinner over the next several days, did give us a KC restaurant recommendation. When we headed to Garozzo's in Columbus Park, we didn't realize it has a storied history with the Italian mob. Still, the photos lining the walls of everyone from Kid Rock to Tony Bennett, along with the Sinatra heavy soundtrack, certainly made us feel like we could be extras in a scene from The Godfather.
Last night, as we drove around, first to dinner and then looking for a drug store that was open at 10:00 pm, it was evident we had left the charming small town vibe of Wichita behind. I felt ever so slightly like Dorothy: "Toto, I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore."
1 comment:
Love this post and listening to Wichita Lineman now, do good!
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