Kansas City Rising

Sometimes it's good to view your hometown through fresh eyes. Such was the case when I attended a national conference in my own backyard of Kansas City, Missouri. The conference drew travel writers from across the nation, many of whom had never visited the metropolitan area. Over and over again they mentioned their surprise at the vibrant new downtown entertainment venues, great dining, gorgeous art museums, lush green landscape, and welcoming people.

My greatest surprise occurred when I opened the curtains of my 27th-floor, Crown Center hotel room, to find the skyline emerging from dense early-morning fog. It was almost a visual image of Kansas City rising from the past to an exciting present and future, as a world-class tourist destination.