Walking from the Plaza to the City Market

[scooterj]

On some nice Saturday coming up (maybe this Saturday) I'm gonna take the MAX to the Plaza and then walk back to the City Market.   No particular reason other than for the exercise and to spend a nice morning outdoors enjoying the city.

Any suggestions on a route?    I don't want to take the straight shot down Main or Broadway, I want to zig-zag about different neighborhoods.   My main route requirements:

• Try to avoid the steepest hills
• Avoid areas where I'm likely to get hassled a lot (such as Main around 39th)
• Pedestrian friendly (which I knowm may be next to impossible in some areas)
• Has places spaced along the way where I can stop to refill my water if I need to.

I'll take your suggestions and put them together into a route I like.   I'll carry my cheap camera and snap lots of pictures along the way to share when I'm done.

Thanks in advance for your recommendations!

[ComandanteCero]

how many miles is that?

[scooterj]

As the crow flies, just under 5 miles.   I'm anticipating the final route will be about 6-8 miles.

[KCPowercat]

My buddy and I almost did this just last weekend....I just didn't have the time to do it....so yeah, what would be a good route.

Some highlights I'd hit.

Hyde Park
Union Hill new construction (down Gillham)

[lock+load]

Enjoy!  I did the same thing on one of the warm Saturdays in January.  I walked up to the City Market from 10th & Baltimore, then back to my apartment to shed the coat, it was warmer than I thought!  From there I went down Baltimore to Truman, over to Main and down to Crown Center.  I took Pershing over to where it curves in Gillham I believe (walked by the new Ronald McDonald house).  Walked through all the construction along Gillham, and went back west along 29th.  Maybe 30th.  From there back over to Main, south to Linwood, west on Linwood to Broadway curving into J.C. Nichols Pkwy to 46th Terrace I believe.  Found there was a back entrance to Gap I never knew existed, went through there, around the Plaza and over to the Library and south to Andre's, got a piece of chocolate and walked back to the Plaza.  I think it ended up being a little over six miles, maybe seven.  I was a little sore the next day

[KansasCityCraka]

I don't care what route you take as long as you take your camera!

[kcdcchef]

On some nice Saturday coming up (maybe this Saturday) I'm gonna take the MAX to the Plaza and then walk back to the City Market.   No particular reason other than for the exercise and to spend a nice morning outdoors enjoying the city.

Any suggestions on a route?    I don't want to take the straight shot down Main or Broadway, I want to zig-zag about different neighborhoods.   My main route requirements:

• Try to avoid the steepest hills
• Avoid areas where I'm likely to get hassled a lot (such as Main around 39th)
• Pedestrian friendly (which I knowm may be next to impossible in some areas)
• Has places spaced along the way where I can stop to refill my water if I need to.

I'll take your suggestions and put them together into a route I like.   I'll carry my cheap camera and snap lots of pictures along the way to share when I'm done.

Thanks in advance for your recommendations!

we did this a few times for exercise and found that it was great to just see a lot of the city. the route we did that avoided many hassles, and too many steep inclines, was

started atreal south end of  plaza, walked along the creek til oak,  jaunted up to hit southmoreland park, then, doubled back along emanuel cleaver II blvd, started heading north   along broadway through westport until penn valley park, then worked east to main, down main through union hill, down grand into crown center, west on pershing to main, and main all the way to the cbd, then grand on into the market.

took us about 2.5 hours, but, we were not moving too fast either. great walk, you will really enjoy it.

[scooterj]

started atreal south end of  plaza, walked along the creek til oak,  jaunted up to hit southmoreland park, ...

Back in my early UMKC days I used to use Brush Creek as a pedestrian friendly way to walk from UMKC to the old Seville Square (where I did tons of shopping back in the day).  This was back before they started fixing up the creek.  My favorite part was the tunnels under Volker Park.  Total blackness except for the distant light at each end.  One time I took a flashlight and was amazed at the artistry of all the hidden graffiti painted deep inside those tunnels.

[ComandanteCero]

Here's one route through some interesting areas:

You could go west along 47th to Gennessee (or Bell), then head north till you reached 39th.  Grab a bite to eat in one of the restaurants in the area.  Then keep going north on Gennesse for a block to hit Valentine, head east on Valentine looking down on the park as well as looking at the cool apt buildings and homes in the area.  You can keep heading north by turning north on Roanoke Rd, and following that through the park, and if you are hardcore, through the lonely industrial area leading to Southwest Blvd.  At Southwest you could just take that all the way into the Crossroads and then make up your route to the Rivermarket. 

If you don't want to do that, then keep heading east on Valentine, cross Southwest Trafficway (this would be the least pedestrian friendly part of the walk, but i think they have a pseudo crosswalk there... maybe not).  Keep heading east on Valentine where you can take one of two routes (route A: keep going east till you hit Broadway, then head north till you hit 31st.  OR route B: turn north on Jefferson and keep going till you hit Penn Valley Community College at 33rd street, go east to Pennsylvania and walk north either through the campus, or along the stree till you hit 31st. (if you go along the street you'll land infront of the fireman's fountain i think).

At that point you can head east on 31st to Grand, turn north on Grand to 30th through Union Hill, turn east on 30th down to Gillham to see the development in the area.  Head north on Gillham to McGee, take McGee to Hallmark head west to Grand, and then just go to Crown Center.  After that you can make up your route to get to the Rivermarket.

I think this route might add 2 miles, so a total of 7 miles and some change.... not bad.

[timberwolfrider]

That is one long ass walk.

[Tosspot]

That is one long ass walk.

I think it will actually go by quicker than you'd think. True I've never walked the entirety of this area, but as long as you have the right shoes, things should be okay. I walked from the UMKC campus to my apartment off of Westport Road, and that was easy as pie..way easier than I thought it would be.

[KansasCityCraka]

^^ I think walking in flip flops are the best way. As long as you don't get rocks in them, they are really comfortable.

[Deleted User]

My daughter and I walked about 60 miles last week in San Francisco. What a walkable city...man.

The hills and homeless can wear you out quick but they don't last, our desire to see more of the city easily overcame each obstacle.

[scooterj]

Thanks all!  Using several of your suggestions I've plotted out what looks like a good route and will probably do this tomorrow.    I'll be sure to take lots of pictures.

[trailerkid]

• Avoid areas where I'm likely to get hassled a lot (such as Main around 39th)

WTF? 

[KCMax]

Hassled by THE MAN?

[warwickland]

• Avoid areas where I'm likely to get hassled a lot (such as Main around 39th)

i would actually recommend walking through that area, as it is actually a great urban space. i walk around there quite often, and its fine. sure, sometimes there is a guy pretending to pop fly balls into traffic or something, but eh..

i suspect that it will change radically over the next few years, might as well enjoy the chaos.

[scooterj]

WTF? 

It seems like any time I walk along Main between 39th and  Armour, I get hit up repeatedly by people wanting "bus fare" (aka "booze change"), dollar bills in exchange for transfer tickets, cigarettes, money for a burger, etc.   I'm not talking sporadically, I'm talking like every couple hundred feet or so if there's a lot of people out.  I've even had a guy start yelling at me and calling me a racist because I told him I didn't have any cigarattes.  I have no idea what it is about me that makes me such a magnet, it doesn't happen to me in any other neighborhood.   Since I'm going out to enjoy myself and getting hassled is not enjoyable, I'm cutting that area from my route.

[warwickland]

i know what you are saying. walking that far along main is a banal experience, anyway. it's just the fact that the intersection is somewhat intact that interests me. i often use walnut part of the way (between 39th and Armour) to head downtown, though, for one trip, im sure that there are more interesting ways to get to union hill. i take the same routes through midtown so often, on my way downtown (on bike), that i havent thoroughly explored it.

and a tip, people dont mess with you in that area that much when you are on a bike.    damn bikes are cool.

[scooterj]

I did the walk today, taking a convoluted, 9-mile route.  Click below to see the photos!

http://www.kcskyscrapers.com/newforum/i ... pic=8381.0