Westport

[DaveKCMO]

Westport is more refreshing than ever these days.  It seems to be the place for local people from the city.  Whenever I overhear people complain that Westport is dying, it is the same type of people who go to Ernie Biggs or Dark Horse Tavern.  Its wonderful that most of this crowd is now downtown, and Westport is starting to feel like it should - like a neighborhood.

yes, it appears this sentiment is nearly universal for the people that live nearby (or just in the city). hopefully the property owners will focus their efforts on appealing to their newfound demographic instead of trying to "compete" with P+L.

[WSPanic]

yes, it appears this sentiment is nearly universal for the people that live nearby (or just in the city). hopefully the property owners will focus their efforts on appealing to their newfound demographic instead of trying to "compete" with P+L.

Living two blocks north of westport - I feel the exact same. This summer is the first time in 5+ years I look forward to going to westport on Fri/Sat nights. I always avoided it on the weekends, but it's been great. Looking forward to seeing how it progresses.

[rxlexi]

I agree completely that a neighborhood vibe is emerging and without a doubt preferable for Westport.  However, that's one of the big reasons I find this massive police presence to be disconcerting.  I live nearby and don't exactly thrill to the site of police barricades and patrols covering every street on the weekends.  If this is what is necessary to ween that group of folks out WP, then great, but to me it seems a little out of hand.

To me, seeing some of the major "party bars" replaced with a few more low-key establishments and bringing in a bit more restaurant/retail to match the drinking scene, would not only go a long way to restore the neighborhood presence in Westport, it would also help push the those looking only to party and cause trouble away to other places.  Westport remains one of my favorite places to go have a bite to eat and drink, and it has done so throughout all of the "party central" years, but with P&L now open it could really use a push in the right direction...

[beautyfromashes]

To me, seeing some of the major "party bars" replaced with a few more low-key establishments and bringing in a bit more restaurant/retail to match the drinking scene, would not only go a long way to restore the neighborhood presence in Westport...

The city could plan a few health department inspections of Harpo's and Kelly's bathrooms to speed this process along.

[DaveKCMO]

do the proprietors of kelly's own that building?

[WSPanic]

The city could plan a few health department inspections of Harpo's and Kelly's bathrooms to speed this process along.

I've never found Kelly's or Harpo's to be a problem. Seems like the clubs (America's Pub, Have a Nice Day, Karma, Johnny Dares, XO, Stanfords etc) were more of a problem than any of the regular ol' drinking establishments.

[chrizow]

yeah, harpo's and kelly's aren't the problem.  it's america's pub and karma and maybe a couple of other places.  aside from those places, westport is a neighborhood hub that might get slightly lively on the weekends. 

[trailerkid]

What changed in Westport besides the lack of large crowds and the attitude they bring? For the most part, isn't it exactly the same tenants that existed before P+L?

[chrizow]

What changed in Westport besides the lack of large crowds and the attitude they bring? For the most part, isn't it exactly the same tenants that existed before P+L?

basically yes, with the welcome addition of the foundry and blanc.  however, "the lack of large crowds and the attitude they bring" is a pretty large difference.  even with the same tenants, westport feels much more like part of the neighborhood than a nightlife destination for the harrisonville and 39th and Agnes set it had become.  the P+L is the best thing that could happen to westport, assuming the business owners there go with the changes and serve the burgeoning needs of midtowners and not try to maintain its status as "party central."  judging by the advertisements on KC taxis (something like "WESTPORT: KC'S ORIGINAL ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICT"), i am not optimistic but at least the neighborhood folks seem to be reclaiming westport.

[LenexatoKCMO]

From personal observation, I would say that most of the problems in Westport have had less to do with actual bar/club patrons than with the "hangers on" who were just there to be there with the crowd.  The folks that just come out to loiter and people watch, or folks who come out to sell drugs, etc. seem to be far more of the problem.  Now that there is less of an overall mob, the place is less attractive to the poeple who just went there because it was where all the people were. 

[trailerkid]

basically yes, with the welcome addition of the foundry and blanc.  however, "the lack of large crowds and the attitude they bring" is a pretty large difference.  even with the same tenants, westport feels much more like part of the neighborhood than a nightlife destination for the harrisonville and 39th and Agnes set it had become.  the P+L is the best thing that could happen to westport, assuming the business owners there go with the changes and serve the burgeoning needs of midtowners and not try to maintain its status as "party central."  judging by the advertisements on KC taxis (something like "WESTPORT: KC'S ORIGINAL ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICT"), i am not optimistic but at least the neighborhood folks seem to be reclaiming westport.

Westport is still seen by most as a "going out" area regardless of the new attitude. The area will do fine relying on locals, but it'd be nice if they could match the nightlife component with an equally vibrant retail scene.

[WSPanic]

From personal observation, I would say that most of the problems in Westport have had less to do with actual bar/club patrons than with the "hangers on" who were just there to be there with the crowd.  The folks that just come out to loiter and people watch, or folks who come out to sell drugs, etc. seem to be far more of the problem.  Now that there is less of an overall mob, the place is less attractive to the poeple who just went there because it was where all the people were. 

Good point. There's much less of that activity going on as well.

Some of that can be credited to the police presence. They still card to get into westport. Since they started doing that, the "hangers-on" crowd has lessened.

[Gretz]

The moves to "shut down" the periphery of Westport are probably in response to the fact that most of the violent crime occurring in the area on Fri/Sat nights occured not in Westport proper but on the periphery as drunk crowds filter out a few blocks from the watchful eyes of the police.  How many stories have we heard on this forum alone of incidents that happen just a block or two away from Westport, where there are dozens of cops?  Makes complete sense to me for them to fan out and make their presence felt in the periphery of the area.  Obviously the KCPD leadership feels that the perrenial weekly violence that occurs is statistically significant and durable enough to warrant a change in tactics and I see no reason to disagree with their new enforcement regime.  Agreed about the new feel of the place though; enjoy it very much.  I've been on weekend nights a couple of times this year and the atmosphere is much improved.

[NDTeve]

Always by that BP on Broadway it seems.

[dangerboy]

What changed in Westport besides the lack of large crowds and the attitude they bring? For the most part, isn't it exactly the same tenants that existed before P+L?

The duders and tanorexics migrated north. Now it's much more of a place where locals go to meet and hang out with friends, and much less of a place where people drive in from the burbs for a night out on the town.  The Foundry and Blanc have too great additions that reinforce the new low-key vibe.  Hopefully America's Pub will move or go away soon.

[Jess]

As one who lives in the Westport zipcode, I'm still glad P&L has taken much of the party crowd.  I've been spending more time in Westport than ever, though typically not after midnight. 

Could not agree more.  I'm definitely cool with it being more "neighborhood."  Westport ought to be thanking the P&L, in a way.

[Maitre D]

dunno if this has been posted or not:






When Devin Cassidy met up with close friends for dinner and drinks Friday night in Westport , life was pretty good.

 

Great, really, friends and family say. She had a job she loved, working with people she loved in a position she’d worked hard for. The 24-year-old had moved back in with her family in Leawood so she could save money for her first home.

 

Cassidy was on the path to having all she wanted, friends say. But by the time the sun came up Saturday morning, Cassidy’s family was dealing with the news the she had been shot and killed.

 

Cassidy, police and prosecutors say, was at the wrong place at the wrong time when two men wanting gas money picked her to rob in a Westport parking lot.

 

“She’s touched a lot of people,” said friend Kelly Boehms, who flew in from California when she heard about Cassidy’s death. “I mean, made you smile ear to ear any hour of the day.”

 

Her family and friends now prepare for her funeral as they keep her memory alive with stories of someone wildly passionate about the violin she learned to play when she was 5, about science, and staying true to who she was. Her mom, Kendall Cassidy, said Devin was a loving and trusting person who saw the good in people and the world.

 

“I don’t think she would have understood the viciousness, the violence people can do,” Kendall Cassidy said Monday. “I don’t think it was in her.”

 

Brandon R. Smith, 19, of Kansas City , and Claude L. Sterling, 18, of Grandview , each face charges of second-degree murder, first-degree attempted robbery and two counts of armed criminal action.

 

Court records describing those charges provide more details of what happened early Saturday. One of the men told police the pair was “hanging out” in Westport when they agreed to rob someone for gas money. They saw Cassidy walking toward a parking lot and considered her “alone and appeared vulnerable,” the suspect told police.

 

That suspect said he was acting as the “lookout” while his partner approached Cassidy with a gun. Cassidy had already entered her car and locked the door just as the gunman said, “Hey, give me some money.”

 

The gunman pounded on the window with his gun, trying to break the glass. When it wouldn’t break, he fired a gunshot into the window, hitting Cassidy in the shoulder. Cassidy thrust her car into gear. The gunman fired a second shot that penetrated the back of the car, but didn’t hit Cassidy, records show.

 

Witnesses who saw the suspects described their vehicle to police, who soon arrested the two. A gun in their car matched shell casings at the scene of the shooting.

http://mbd.scout.com/mb.aspx?s=172&f=2488&t=3056430

[kucer]

Maitre D = MikeStinkey ???

[kcmetro]

dunno if this has been posted or not:

Crazy shit.  How could someone be so desperate for gas money that they shoot someone???

[LenexatoKCMO]

Crazy shit.  How could someone be so desperate for gas money that they shoot someone???

Anyone who would commit armed robbery for pocket change in the first place obviously isn't working with the soundest logical reasoning - you are risking decades of your life in prison for ~$20-40 assuming they even have anything.  Not exactly a very sound cost/benefit analysis.  If you are going to take that gamble, don't do it just on the prospect of what someone might have in their purse.