Brooke and I took the day off Friday to go to Kansas City for the night, then drive into Hermann for the next night. This was prompted by a deal that the Captain Wohlt B&B was running – as January is a generally slow month for the sleepy town of Hermann, MO, they ran a 50% off deal for the weekend, and as we didn’t make it out there last Summer, we decided to make the trip this time.
Before we get to that, however, we Pricelined a hotel at Crown Center in Kansas City, MO for Friday night, mostly because we hadn’t really been to KC before together, and certainly not to see some of the touristy things in our own backyard. Thus, we hit a few nearby attractions…
First up was the Steamboat Arabia Museum. Now, one may think, looking at billboards on I-70, that this would be a somewhat cheesy endeavor, but it was really, really interesting. Essentially, back in the 1850s, the steamboat Arabia, traveling from St. Louis, MO to Sioux City, NE, hit a snag and sank with all her cargo – the only life lost was a mule (and yes, the mule is at the museum). Some local guys decided to look for a steamboat (as there are over 100 that went down in the Missouri River in that general time…) and see what treasure was in store for them. They selected this one because the Army CoE had reined in the river into a channel away from where the ship sank, thus leaving the steamboat in a field. These guys obtained rights to dig in the field and, in the late-1980s, found the ship and dug it up. It’s crazy the stuff they found on this boat, destined for general stores up and down the river. We’re talking leather goods, fine china, woodworking tools, wool coats, pickled goods, gin, etc. Nearly all of it was still there and in surprisingly good condition. If you look at all the stuff in there, you quickly realize that these local treasure hunters found millions of dollars worth of goods in perfect condition, essentially buried in a field.
The next stop was the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. Not a whole lot to write about this one, but we feel we got a little more culture after going 😛 Essentially, it was just an art museum, yet free. Contemporary art, portraits, furniture, photography…in all, it was interesting and full of good stuff…just not much to report here!
We went to BB’s Lawnside BBQ for dinner on Friday night. After finding the place (the road was closed, like, 100 ft from the entrance, and we had to drive around for 20 min to find a way to get there…), we were treated to some excellent KC BBQ and live blues music, both of which were well-received. I don’t get out to hear live music as often as I’d like, and getting it paired with BBQ is always a plus.
The next day, we went to the Harry S. Truman Museum and Library in Independence, MO. I’ve been there before, but it’s been a good 10-15 years; this was Brooke’s first trip. While I’d learned about Truman in the past, I didn’t realize (at the time) how important the man was. Besides the obvious dropping of the Atomic Bomb and the Truman Doctrine of communist containment, I found that he was also responsible for recognizing the State of Israel, pushing forward civil rights legislation for servicemen, first trying to pass a national health care initiative, and getting us involved with NATO. He was a good Democrat 🙂 A fine way to spend a morning…
We then drove to Hermann, MO to taste wine at the Bommarito Estate, which we’d been told to go to in the past yet had never made it there. The wine was pretty good, and certainly different as it was nearly all “dry.” Apparently, the vintner doesn’t add any sugar to his wines, so while I’m used to having a vignoles that is sweet, this one wasn’t really sweet at all. We bought three bottles while we were there…and I think Brooke has discovered Port as a drink of choice 😛
Anyway, we stayed at the B&B that night in a nice suite and went to dinner at Trapper’s Grill: I had a very, very excellent Caribbean chicken breast and Brooke had pasta. We were quite satisfied!
So yeah, it was good trip with no real hiccups. Now, sadly, we’ll have to replenish our checking account, as we spent a pretty penny doing this!
What about the FANTASTIC B&B you stayed at on Thursday night?? And I believe it was quite a bit less expensive than the KC hotel or the Hermann B&B. Perhaps a review is in order!! How was Edie’s weekend??
That Columbia B&B we stayed in was _excellent_…yet, cost us absolutely nothing… Actually, the proprietors of that establishment even let us borrow their carpet cleaner, which we promptly returned… 😛
Thanks, Mother and Father… 🙂
actually, they picked the Arabia because it was the only one that didn’t have any human fatalities, and they didn’t know the mule was there til they were hosing off the deck and found his bones. my mom is their accountant, so i’ve been there a few times. it’s a pretty awesome place. and i’m glad you are continuing to learn that Truman is the best president evar.
Andy, fyi, if Brooke is becoming a port lover, I would encourage you to check out our port class at mount pleasant winery. I have two classes coming up. Check us out on line for the schedule. It is a vertical port tasting of 6 different vintage ports plus a tawny port as well. Great food, great wines and a fun event.
Mark