Sunday Star front page story about First Fridays

Issues concerning Downtown as described by the Downtown Council. River to 31st Street, I-35 to Bruce R. Watkins.
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chrizow
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Sunday Star front page story about First Fridays

Post by chrizow »

i just saw the front-page feature in the Star about First Fridays.  very cool article! 

i like how the JoCo couple quoted in the article said that their neighbors are totally clueless about not only FF, but the Crossroads district in general.  :roll:

also, the article noted that the "younger, hipper" crowd has migrated east to Oak and Locust, while the suburbanite/yuppie crowd centers around the 20th and Baltimore area.  has anyone here noticed this?  what exactly is over on Oak and Locust that is attracting the younger set?  i'll have to check it out on friday.

but it was a very cool article.  hopefully it will bring more folks out to FF next friday.  props to the Star.
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Re: Sunday Star front page story about First Fridays

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chrizow wrote: also, the article noted that the "younger, hipper" crowd has migrated east to Oak and Locust, while the suburbanite/yuppie crowd centers around the 20th and Baltimore area.  has anyone here noticed this?  what exactly is over on Oak and Locust that is attracting the younger set?  i'll have to check it out on friday.
Absolutely. 20th and Baltimore is like the crossroads of the Crossroads, so you'll find the most polished, wine-sipping suburbanite crowd will hang out.  The galleries and shops in this area are established and pretty polished.

The east side is where you'll see the newer galleries, including ones that are a little "weirder".  You'll see more of your counter-culture people in the streets and there are outdoor sculpture gardens, bands in alleyways, adhoc games on the street, etc.  Much more edgy to the east, like a whole different event.
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Re: Sunday Star front page story about First Fridays

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staubio wrote: Absolutely. 20th and Baltimore is like the crossroads of the Crossroads, so you'll find the most polished, wine-sipping suburbanite crowd will hang out.  The galleries and shops in this area are established and pretty polished.

The east side is where you'll see the newer galleries, including ones that are a little "weirder".  You'll see more of your counter-culture people in the streets and there are outdoor sculpture gardens, bands in alleyways, adhoc games on the street, etc.  Much more edgy to the east, like a whole different event.
that's what i like to hear.  i saw on the crossroads community association map that TOMBOY and Grand Arts, etc. are over there on the east side of the Xroads.  i suppose that's where the action is.  what's the most interesting way to walk over there from the 20th and Baltimore area?  along 19th?  18th?  i'd like to minimize our trek through surface lots.  :) 

who wants to meet up at TOMBOY at 8:30 for a KCSSP meet n greet?
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Re: Sunday Star front page story about First Fridays

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I'd go 18th.

The east side is home to stuff like the Radical Infoshop, Acme Bicycle, Grinders, etc.  The latter two are on 18th.

I'd be game for a meetup.  I haven't even thought that far ahead yet, but I'm sure I'll be there.
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Re: Sunday Star front page story about First Fridays

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one of my best friends works at the radical infoshop sometimes.  that place is pretty cool.
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Re: Sunday Star front page story about First Fridays

Post by trailerkid »

Chriz...

There was a discussion about East Xroads vs. West Xroads a while back...

http://www.kcskyscrapers.com/newforum/i ... pic=3112.0
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Re: Sunday Star front page story about First Fridays

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trailerkid wrote: Chriz...

There was a discussion about East Xroads vs. West Xroads a while back...

http://www.kcskyscrapers.com/newforum/i ... pic=3112.0
yeah, i knew there was a lot of momentum building in the East Xroads, and i've been to the Radical Infoshop.  i was just trying to get a feel for how the east Xroads area factors into the actual FF events and the best way to walk there. 

honestly, i thought that Grand Arts and TOMBOY are pretty established, so i never really thought of that area as the new "east xroads" beachhead.  the Sunday Star article talks about rumblings as far east as Troost.
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Re: Sunday Star front page story about First Fridays

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The Infoshop is shutting down.  Not enough traffic.
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Re: Sunday Star front page story about First Fridays

Post by chrizow »

KCLofts wrote: The Infoshop is shutting down.  Not enough traffic.
:cry:
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Re: Sunday Star front page story about First Fridays

Post by LenexatoKCMO »

chrizow wrote: i like how the JoCo couple quoted in the article said that their neighbors are totally clueless about not only FF, but the Crossroads district in general.   :roll:
I am always fascinated by this dichotomy in the burbs.  It seems like about half the people genuinely enjoy being near a big city and take advantages of the dining, shopping, theater events, first fridays, etc.  But there is another half that could care less about the city and avoid it like the plague, perfectly happy to exist entirely in their vaccum so long as their is an applebees and a target handy.  It seems like these are more often than not your new-money, rural transplants.  Those of you in the Northland and Lees Summit should be wary of thinking these folks are a Johnson County only phenomenon.  As your areas continue to boom you will notice more and more of them rising to the surface.  It is an inevitable side effect of midwestern suburbia.  Defining any suburb on the basis of this crowd is a disservice to all the folks who live in those communities that truly appreciate their urban neighbor.  
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Re: Sunday Star front page story about First Fridays

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LenexatoKCMO wrote: I am always fascinated by this dichotomy in the burbs.  It seems like about half the people genuinely enjoy being near a big city and take advantages of the dining, shopping, theater events, first fridays, etc.  But there is another half that could care less about the city and avoid it like the plague, perfectly happy to exist entirely in their vaccum so long as their is an applebees and a target handy.  It seems like these are more often than not your new-money, rural transplants.  Those of you in the Northland and Lees Summit should be wary of thinking these folks are a Johnson County only phenomenon.  As your areas continue to boom you will notice more and more of them rising to the surface.  It is an inevitable side effect of midwestern suburbia.  Defining any suburb on the basis of this crowd is a disservice to all the folks who live in those communities that truly appreciate their urban neighbor.  
of course it's not a JoCo-only thing, but the article talked about a JoCo couple.  i highly doubt people in lee's summit or liberty are any more abreast of what's going on in downtown KCMO - probably less so since JoCo seems to be the most popular destination for folks from other, larger cities?
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Re: Sunday Star front page story about First Fridays

Post by LenexatoKCMO »

Of course I am also always amazed about how many folks in general there are who have no clue what is going on around them at any given time.  I would be willing to bet there were some folks up North who had no idea Zona Rosa was going in until it opened its doors; just as I am sure there are plenty of folks in residential areas surrounding downtown who will be clueless about what is being built on the southern side of the loop until the day the P&L district and arena open.  How can people have their head so deep in the sand? 

Sorry for the slightly off-topic rant. 
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Re: Sunday Star front page story about First Fridays

Post by ComandanteCero »

well, i think there's the other thing that a lot of people know places and destinations in  the area and go out to eat around there, but don't know the area is called the "Crossroads".  I've noticed this when trying to describe First Friday to people who haven't been, they usually are clueless when i say "Crossroads", but if i start mentioning stuff like "area east and north of Manny's" they'll understand it in a sec.  Most just lump the area in with the general moniker of "downtown".
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Re: Sunday Star front page story about First Fridays

Post by cdschofield »

chrizow wrote: yeah, i knew there was a lot of momentum building in the East Xroads, and i've been to the Radical Infoshop.  i was just trying to get a feel for how the east Xroads area factors into the actual FF events and the best way to walk there. 

honestly, i thought that Grand Arts and TOMBOY are pretty established, so i never really thought of that area as the new "east xroads" beachhead.  the Sunday Star article talks about rumblings as far east as Troost.
I would say TOMBOY and Grand Arts are kind of in between the West Xroads and East Xroads. The epicenter of the East Xroads is 18th & Locust by most accounts.
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Re: Sunday Star front page story about First Fridays

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http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascit ... 782078.htm

First Fridays hint at possibilities

LEWIS W. DIUGUID

A friend's insistence and my curiosity pulled me away from work and onto the street for First Friday.

Kansas City's recurring big event happens again in two days. It's when thousands of people converge on downtown to enjoy the emerging arts scene and eclectic Crossroads nightlife. We started our schmooze-fest at 5:30 p.m. at Michael's Fine Clothes for Men, 1830 Main St., and then went to Crown Center via Union Station.

The streets of Kansas City were filling up fast with people who were hungry to be where things were happening. Union Station was where we found parking and then we walked from the train depot to the shops and back again.

Afterward, we landed in the area of 20th and Baltimore near Lidia's Kansas City. Passers-by filled the sidewalks. Imagine walking during one of the busiest times on the Country Club Plaza and then multiply that by 10.

It was heartening to see so many folks enjoying downtown. We wandered into the Mojo Collections, 2009 Baltimore; the Leedy Voulkos Art Center, 2012 Baltimore; the Society for Contemporary Photography, 2012 Baltimore Ave.; and the Cross Roads BLUES Gallery, 2009 Baltimore Ave.

The displays of paintings, photos, drawings, sculptures, textiles, jewelry, dishes and other exhibits were diverse enough to match the tastes of the people who wandered inside. Street vendors also capitalized on so many people being downtown. Photographers were shooting pictures of anyone who would pose outside the galleries.

Leslie, my 18-year-old daughter, had discovered First Friday and the art exhibits months ago. I've been slow to catch up. My wife, Valerie, and more friends landed in the area while my friend and I were people-watching.

At Zin, 1900 Main St., we were encouraged to see that the old adjacent Hotel Monroe was being converted to condos. We hiked north to Danny's Big Easy, 1610 Main St., for comfortable seats, good conversation, live music, and Cajun food and drinks.

The place was jumping, but there was no waiting. Our town felt like a big city.

I only wish there were a Second Tuesday, Third Wednesday and Fourth Thursday to complement First Friday and keep people downtown at least one day each week. That would be the start of a long overdue, significant rebirth.

Valerie and I had not enjoyed this much fun downtown since going out nearly 30 years ago to have peanuts and beer at the Haberdashery in the old Muehlebach Hotel.

We also used to frequent the Phillips House for live music, have boiled shrimp and beer at the Italian Gardens and dine on the great Mediterranean food and hospitality when the Greek Island was at Main and 12th streets. But those were the twilight years of downtown's greatness when a lot of convention-goers and area residents felt comfortable and safe as they shared the streets and the cool after-hours nightlife that the business district provided.

Young people, new loft apartments, condominiums and the arts offer the best hope for downtown's revival. Ongoing construction of the Sprint arena, the H&R Block complex and the revival of the President Hotel promise to rejuvenate downtown and bring more people to the area.

A performing arts center would add to the attraction. But I would love to see it built on the wide open vacant land south of Bartle Hall instead of scrunched in next to the Lyric Opera.

The unique design for the center would help better connect the crowds from First Friday in the Crossroads District to downtown and the River Market. It would serve as the cultural bridge pulling people toward the Missouri River.

It's also one heck of a hike from Crown Center to the river. The hordes wanting to enjoy everything should then insist on a fixed-rail trolley system to help connect the West Side with the 18th and Vine Historic District and Crown Center with the River Market.

People could browse a bit and then step onto a frequently passing trolley to catch a ride to the next attraction on their list. They could jump off for dinner and drinks and then get back on a trolley to hit some more sites.

But it would take a huge investment of public dollars to install such a system and the will of the voters to make it happen. Until then some enterprising person with a fleet of dolled-up golf carts could transport people to the places they want to visit.

It's so more people can enjoy more of the new things that our beloved town has to offer.
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Re: Sunday Star front page story about First Fridays

Post by Slappy the Wang »

I'll be there Friday.  Treanor Architects is having an open house at 4.
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Re: Sunday Star front page story about First Fridays

Post by scooterj »

First Friday still happens even if it's pouring down rain, right?   

(Rain's not gonna stop me from heading out.)
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Re: Sunday Star front page story about First Fridays

Post by KCPowercat »

yeah but this rain is going to kill one of the best FF's of the year.
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Re: Sunday Star front page story about First Fridays

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booo.  is it still raining?  is the forecast calling for rain all evening?  my mom said it was supposed to stop?
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Re: Sunday Star front page story about First Fridays

Post by KC0KEK »

All evening.
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