Kansas City optimism

[TheBigChuckbowski]

I don't think that's it at all. I think we have a TON of suburbanites that have no clue what we have in Kansas City because they're too scared to leave Overland Park.
...
But, they never see that value in KC because they never go to the urban core in KC so they think the whole metro sucks because Overland Park sucks and that's all they know.

They are not too scared to leave OP but it is more of an attitude of why leave OP, and for them OP doesn't suck. Afterall they can live, work, and play there. Much like the reverse with your attitude to OP, why leave the KC city core.

Uhh...they are scared. I have known people to turn down invitations to parties or show up to parties scared out of their minds because they drove on Troost. It's not even debatable. I know people that won't even go to Westport.

What museums, music venues, arenas, art galleries, etc can people go to in Overland Park? Just because you can live without leaving Overland Park doesn't mean it sucks any less. But, they'll turn on the TV and see a show about New York and say "wow, look at all those art galleries and restaurants. That's so cool. I wish Kansas City was like that." And by Kansas City, they mean Overland Park, because Kansas City is like that.

[chingon]

When I made my wife move from JoCo to Northeast, she lost most of her female friends (all of whom lived in NE JoCo) because they literally refused to come to our house and I honestly beleive it was because they thought the neighborhood was scary.

Again, these same women would rave about how boring KC is and how they wished it had funky city neighborhoods with good ethnic food and nice houses that were close together and parks that people used and cool things like taco trucks and handsome latin men who knew how to dance. Then they'd say, "like in St Louis or Dallas or Denver or Tampa or [insert mediocre equivalent city here]."

[loftguy]

A friend is a top executive in an international concern with offices in JoCo. She was recruited from New England a few years ago and settled into the River Market upon coming to KC. She always found it curious that she could get so few people from the company to come to parties and dinners at her home, or to dine or drink in the neighborhood. These refusals most often came from people who are originally from Johnson County (her observation).

Last year, she moved into a grand home in midtown. Now, even fewer accept invitations and the remarks about fear and safety are continuous and rampant. She is especially perplexed, as their work has taken many of them into major cities across the country and some of the sketchier locations abroad, and when away from KC its all a grand adventure. Her comment about this at their grand Thanksgiving party was followed by "wtf is wrong with these people?'.

[aknowledgeableperson]

The above comments remind me of when Kemper Arena was the place for sports and concerts. When it came to low attendence at some events many stated it was because of the surroundings by Kemper and many other negative items. But when it came to the Big 12 or some big concert the arena would sell out and no one cared about the neighborhood and the other negative items of Kemper.

Maybe the people just don't want to go unless there is something they really want to go to.

[chingon]

Maybe the people just don't want to go unless there is something they really want to go to.

That quote pretty much sets the bar for your internet absurdity, man.

You're going to have to really up your game next time to compete with yourself if you want to be competitive with yourself in your game the next time your game is competitive with your own self's game of competing with the self of yours's game.

[shinatoo]

just spent the week in LA (Pasadena, Pomona and Huntington Beach). My KC optimism is about zero right now. Not sure I will be staying in KC much longer.

[cdm2p]

I think people tend to compare the worst of KC to the best of other places. That's a recipe for disappointment.
Our city has some great, safe neighborhoods. Not every corner of KC is great but we have some great corners. Spend time in the places that you think are great and take the time to find new great places.

[chaglang]

I'm optimistic because we seem to be in the middle of a serious creative boom here. And the role social media is playing in that is really interesting. Growing up here my sense was that there were a lot of creative types who were sort of disconnected - from one another and everyone else. Unless you spent all your time in bars and gallery openings it was really hard to know what was going on. Now, those people have been really good at using Twitter and Facebook to get their meassge out, and it's very easy to keep up with the arts/culture/food scene. Obviously this is happening everywhere, but I think for a lot of people it came as a revelation - because the scene is much bigger than we've ever gotten credit for.

[earthling]

The more I travel elsewhere the more I appreciate KC. I can appreciate other cities for what they have and KC for what it has - I simply don't suffer from greener pastures if seeing something in another city that KC doesn't have. KC is one of the strongest metros for just 2M people without the hassles of larger metros. It's pretty amazing everything KC has for its size. Obviously, some things need to improve like the state line issues but I'll take KC's issues over mostly any other metro. I could see though for someone in their 20s, there are more exciting places to be.

[mean]

I'm not sure what these "hassles" are that everyone refers to when talking about larger and more vibrant cities. More people? Well, yeah. That comes with the territory. So does an increased cost of living, increased traffic congestion, and various other "hassles" which are the trade-off for living in a hip, vibrant, cool place--a trade-off that most people seem to be willing to make.

[warwickland]

I'm not sure what these "hassles" are that everyone refers to when talking about larger and more vibrant cities. More people? Well, yeah. That comes with the territory. So does an increased cost of living, increased traffic congestion, and various other "hassles" which are the trade-off for living in a hip, vibrant, cool place--a trade-off that most people seem to be willing to make.

Yeah, the hassle seems to come with kind of having a white knuckle grip on driving a car towards downtown in the case of Chicago, or more I guess (I don't know) living in a bloated sun belt town with an unfortunate scale of smart infrastructure. The biggest complaint I hear from those really getting down in the mega-cities at least in Chicago and in the east is lack of close huge wilderness, which can't really be helped. Although New England is nice.

[Midtownkid]

I'm not sure what these "hassles" are that everyone refers to when talking about larger and more vibrant cities. More people? Well, yeah. That comes with the territory. So does an increased cost of living, increased traffic congestion, and various other "hassles" which are the trade-off for living in a hip, vibrant, cool place--a trade-off that most people seem to be willing to make.

My experience in larger cities is that the populations are much more competitive, cold, cutthroat, etc. People are all competing for the best jobs, best apartments, even things like best table at a restaurant. People can be very bitchy and freak out on you at the drop of a hat. Of course living in DC I probably see some of the worst behavior. Kansas City has plenty of this i'm sure, but overall I always have a good experience in KC. I feel like people there are kind to each other, more humble, chill, laid back.

Many people in KC are there because they have a vested interest in the city. They were born there, or they moved because they loved the city or to start some business. They usually aren't just there to 'use' the city. Places like DC are full of people who are just there to use the city and its people to get what they want and leave. Also, in KC small businesses seem to team up and work together for the greater good of their businesses and the city. It's kind of like urban/local vs. suburban/chain. Just the feeling I get there I'm there.

Also, while KC does have a high crime rate, I feel very safe in the neighborhoods I frequent. The RCP corridor seems very safe. Sure things happen there...and petty theft from cars etc is a problem...but I never feel like I'm going to get mugged. I've been mugged twice in DC now...in 7 years. Once near my college in broad daylight with 2 other people. Another time, much more recently, was in a very nice area of Dupont...next to restaurants and bars, around midnight. It was pretty violent, and my guard was down because I was in a good neighborhood. I can't really imagine that happening on the Plaza or something.

[Midtownkid]

BTW, I am very optimistic about KC these days.

We have come so far in the last decade or two. The creative energy is amazing. Old crappy buildings have been fixed up. Our history is being remembered and new establishments are looking toward that history for inspiration. Around the country a buzz is starting. KC is on many people's radar...and for good reasons! I have a few things to finish up here in DC...but I can't wait to move back!

[chaglang]

I'm not sure what these "hassles" are that everyone refers to when talking about larger and more vibrant cities. More people? Well, yeah. That comes with the territory. So does an increased cost of living, increased traffic congestion, and various other "hassles" which are the trade-off for living in a hip, vibrant, cool place--a trade-off that most people seem to be willing to make.

When we lived in the Northeast the biggest hassle for me was that if you didn't have a car, it took an hour to get anywhere on the subway. Unless you were going around the corner, everything had to be planned. It lacked the spontaneity that I love about KC.

[warwickland]

I've stayed in dupont circle and I can see it happening to me, there's no way I was still on a 10 there.

[kboish]

mean wrote:
I'm not sure what these "hassles" are that everyone refers to when talking about larger and more vibrant cities. More people? Well, yeah. That comes with the territory. So does an increased cost of living, increased traffic congestion, and various other "hassles" which are the trade-off for living in a hip, vibrant, cool place--a trade-off that most people seem to be willing to make.

Not trying to say other cities aren't awesome and have less to offer than KC. Quite the contrary, there are plenty of cities I love and would love to live in. I was speaking more to where people's pessimism in KC comes from and to how some of the things they are pessimistic about, view as hassles, or are down about KC on (such as crime or their lack of knowledge about the culture in the city) are things they easily overlook in other cities or have no qualms with because of what those cities have to offer. I feel KC has enough to offer to outweigh some of its draw backs. I'm always looking for the city to improve, but am currently generally optimistic and exceedingly enthusiastic in the direction we're heading.

[AJoD]

I'm not sure what these "hassles" are that everyone refers to when talking about larger and more vibrant cities. More people? Well, yeah. That comes with the territory. So does an increased cost of living, increased traffic congestion, and various other "hassles" which are the trade-off for living in a hip, vibrant, cool place--a trade-off that most people seem to be willing to make.

There is some truth to that, but I think the point is that proportionally, the hassle/hip ratio works in KC's favor, especially for families with kids.

One example:

When we lived on Chicago's north side (in the city, toward the end of the Brown Line) a weekend trip with the kids to The Art Institute of Chicago for our family of four required 1-2 hours of travel time, the uncertainty about exactly how much time, maybe $30 for the museum, $10-20 for parking or L transport (public transport has economies of scale for cities, but not for families), and much of the collection crowded and the experience sometimes rushed.

It's a reliable 10 minute drive for us to the Nelson, it's free, and the pace/crowd at the museum is pretty leisurely.

Now, the Art Institute is a better attraction, but the Nelson is pretty damn good--quality does not diminish in direct proportion to hassle. And we are able to go much more than we would the Art Institute.

There's some give-and-take, of course, because our neighborhood proper (in NE Joco) does not have nearly the convenient amenities of our Chicago neighborhood. Getting quality takeout is considerably more difficult, bands we might want to see aren't playing within walking distance.

But in terms of accessibility to big metrowide attractions, I think the hassle/hip ratio here is quite favorable. And that's just in terms of doing stuff.

[brewcrew1000]

Maybe we just need more optimistic news reporting. This murder-suicide today in OP is clearly outlined that is was a divorcing couple who had issues, restraining orders filed, schools nearby were warned nearby that it was just a domestic dispute with nothing to worry about, etc. They write is so clearly so you wont have to be worried that it wasn't random.

The ones in KCMO just say 1 dead in shooting with little else to say, i guarantee you that shooting was related even though its related in a different way (Guy owes another guy money, drugs, etc), Same could be said about the 95% of the other shootings taking place in KCMO. When someone thinks a shooting is random, they become fearful, but if its related the people watching the news don't care, because they know they wouldn't have been a victim.

http://www.kansascity.com/2012/01/05/33 ... rland.html

[mean]

"In this neighborhood you don't expect that."

[aknowledgeableperson]

Maybe we just need more optimistic news reporting.

I am not quite sure what you mean by that statement. To use your example a woman was killed in her car and the shooter (husband) was found dead nearby - a domestic case. And there were comments that in that neighborhood something like that doesn't happen very often, therefore unexpected.
Compare that to (made up example) a woman killed in her car along Troost or Prospect and her killer is unknown, reason unknown but could be gang related or random, and so on. And comments made that something has to be done about all of the violence in the area. The next evening there is a prayer vigil with pictures of this victim and of others who are unsolved murder victims. How do you make that optimistic?