Sunday – June 30, 2013 – Kansas City, MO
We enjoyed our brief stay in Oakley, Kansas. Although we felt like we were transported back in time, we found a lot to like about the pace of life in this very rural part of the country. We got to play some mini-golf at the park we were at – the closest I’ve come to a real golf club in a couple of weeks now. We got to see a giant ball of barbed wire that was on display (thought stuff like this and “largest ball of twine” were urban legends) and then we retired early so we could bet an early start in the morning.
We left Oakley, Kansas at 6:00 AM. We had 350 miles to cover so that we could get to the Kansas City Museum of Miniatures and Toys by 1:00 PM. They would not be open on Monday, so we had to ger there by Sunday. The drive at that early hour was pretty smooth. The wind on the prairie doesn’t kick up until it starts to get a little warmer. at 6:00 am it was a chilly 61 degrees. After a couple of hours behind the wheel, Elisa took over the driving so I could take a little nap. After about an hour and a half I took over. Elisa did a great job driving our 25’ motor home with another 15 feet of automobile in tow.
We rolled into Kansas City, Mo around 12:00 noon. We had a little bit of difficulty finding our RV park – Worlds of Fun Village which is in the Northeastern part of KC. After a couple of wrong turns followed by U-turns – not so easy to do with 40 of vehicle – we did finally pull into our space by 12:30 PM. We quickly unhooked our car and headed over to the museum which is on the campus of the University of Missouri at Kansas City. After a quick bite to eat at Pickleman’s Gourmet Cafe which is near the museum, we were viewing the collection by 1:30PM. After the hectic rush to get there, we both had to catch our breath and slow down so that we could take in the huge collection of toys, dolls and miniature doll houses.
The KC museum is in an historic mansion that has been fully renovated and adapted specifically as a museum. The museum was started 33 years ago (1979) by 2 best friend in Kansas City, both of whom were avid collectors of miniatures, toys and dolls. They opened their first museum in 10,000 feet in 1982. The KC museum moved to this location in 1989 after nearly doubling the side of their collection. They receive the space at minimal cost from the University of Missouri. The museum now occupies 38 rooms making up 33,000 sq. ft. Simply put, it is huge and the largest and most complete collection of any we have seen so far. Each of the rooms or major display areas typically has a theme to it. As you enter, there are several displays dedicated to wind up toys. I was feeling pretty good about our collection as we, with the help of our dear friends the Rossman’s have several fine examples going back to the ’30s, 40s, 50s, and 60s. Their collection consists fo hundreds of near perfect examples dating back to the 1800s. They have examples from several different countries. They had so many different types they could group them by categories, e.g. cars, animals, figures, musical, etc. Truely amazing.
I need to apologize for the poor quality of the photos as we only had a simple point and shoot digital camera with us and we could not use the flash. I will post a link to more pictures elsewhere in this blog posting.
This museum is most renowned for ist collection miniature doll houses and furnishings and accessories. They have pieces from the 1700s to present day. They have miniature furniture, painting, tapestries, carpets and accessories such as silverware, candle holders and the like. The craftsmanship of these antique pieces in incredible. Their collection of cast iron and tin toys is also huge and occupies several rooms and is separated by theme. One room features only planes, trains and automobiles. They have a marble collection that occupies a space of about 800 sq feet. They have a very large and artful display of Barbie Dolls – both original (1959) and contemporary. They found a very clever way to display them using the dolls and the many different Barbie and Ken accessories that were available. They have a very extensive collection of Star Wars action figures, teddy bears, pedal cars, and so much more.
If I had one criticism of the Museum, it is that there weren’t enough interactive stations to keep young kids amused. However, they had some that were incredible – especially in the marble display. They had 3 different Rube Goldberg type contraptions that would lift marbles up a tall wire structure where they would then roll down twists, turns, hoops and loops making a delightful racket all the while.
This photo link is slowly being populated. It may not work initially, but come back to it and you will see more. I’ll also post a like on facebook.
Elisa is hoping to be able to meet with the curator of the museum on Monday morning.
That evening I received a suggestion from a local on a good spot for KC barbecue. Many of the spots recommended were little more than a stand at a gas station. While I’m sure the food is great, it wasn’t quite the dining experience we were looking for after this busy day. So, they suggested Fiorella’s Jack Stack Barbecue. There are several locations for this family owned chain, but we chose the one in the Freight House building located near the railroad tracks in KC. The name Jack Stack was derived from the original restaurant the elder Fiorella opened in 1955 – the Smoke Stack Barbecue. in the 1970’s the son Jack – opened his own restaurant and be was called Jack Stack. The BBQ is very good – better than anything we can get in San Diego. The ribs were great but not the best I’ve ever had. Their rub is relatively mild and the ribs are slow smoked dry and sauce is only added as they are served. The sauce is good and comes in “regular" and “spicy", I frankly found them to be near identical. Elisa and I both order the 2 meat combo with baked potato and cole slaw and we shared a side order of broccoli that was perfectly cooked with garlic and was to die for. We both got the ribs (mine with sauce and Elisa’s dry) and Elisa got the ¼ chicken and I got the “Burnt Tips". Burnt tips are just that. as they slow smoke a number of different types of meats the smaller and thinner typs will often cook faster than the thicker, meatier parts of the different cuts. As it cooks, the grill-master will trim off the tips. These tips are served as a menu choice. We both enjoyed the ribs – It’s tough to please both of us. I like my zesty, spicy and with lots of sauce, paprika. Elisa like hers savor, not too spicy and dry. The dry ribs, although not quite a spicy as I like still had great flavor and were well cooked with lots of smote and the right amount of moisture in the smoke so that the meat would fall off the bone but not look like it had been boiled or braised. My Burnt Tips were great with most of the meat coming off of beef briskets but also off of some prime ribs and Pork that has been smoked. The taste, texture and flavor was great.
Clearly it must have been pretty good….
More later.
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