Is downtown KC usually dead or busy? (live, most dangerous)

[xenokc]

Originally Posted by kcmo

Stop taking things so freaking personal

Sigh, 90% of my response was directed to MoNative, who mentioned happy hour, not you. Sounds like you overreacted and took it too personally. I try not to directly respond to you anymore as it usually results in a misunderstood long winded rant, this being a good example.

Back to the OP, what we all do seem to agree on is that downtown KC is much better than it used to be but not where it should be. At least the momentum is still forward.

[JupiterSound]

Thank you all for the great answers. You have all taught me more about about Kansas City than I've ever known. Out of all the times I've been to KC (mostly West Port in KCMO and Overland Park and Olathe in KCKS) I had no idea that there was such a great place right in my own backyard.

I would really like to make the 90 mile trip up to KC and explore downtown sometime. But I have an extreme fear of driving in large cities. Some of you have mentioned that there isn't usually a high volume of traffic in downtown. Are there confusing streets in downtown? A lot of one way streets? Is it easy to get lost? As a conservative, small-town driver, i'm not used to the hustle and bustle of larger places and i'm afraid of irritating KC natives who know where they are going and and know the streets! So fear that has kept me from really experiencing downtown KC. It's frustrating!

[MOKAN]

Originally Posted by JupiterSound

Thank you all for the great answers. You have all taught me more about about Kansas City than I've ever known. Out of all the times I've been to KC (mostly West Port in KCMO and Overland Park and Olathe in KCKS) I had no idea that there was such a great place right in my own backyard.

I would really like to make the 90 mile trip up to KC and explore downtown sometime. But I have an extreme fear of driving in large cities. Some of you have mentioned that there isn't usually a high volume of traffic in downtown. Are there confusing streets in downtown? A lot of one way streets? Is it easy to get lost? As a conservative, small-town driver, i'm not used to the hustle and bustle of larger places and i'm afraid of irritating KC natives who know where they are going and and know the streets! So fear that has kept me from really experiencing downtown KC. It's frustrating!

Many of downtown KC's one-way streets have been changed to two-way, coinciding with all of the redevelopment. I think that was partly done to help people deal with driving in a downtown area, so you're not alone. As for people being unfamiliar with the area and it being obvious, that's pretty common - so you wouldn't be alone there either. Even people from the suburbs that had no reason to go downtown until recently can get confused.

[kcmo]

Originally Posted by xenokc

Sigh, 90% of my response was directed to MoNative, who mentioned happy hour, not you. Sounds like you overreacted and took it too personally. I try not to directly respond to you anymore as it usually results in a misunderstood long winded rant, this being a good example.

Back to the OP, what we all do seem to agree on is that downtown KC is much better than it used to be but not where it should be. At least the momentum is still forward.

You come after anybody that doesn't post as if they work for the chamber of commerce and act as if you are the only one that can say anything remotely negative about the city. Pretty easy to overact to a post clearly directed at those that don't live in KC any more. Say what you want. I know more about KC and care more about KC than probably 90% of the people that actually live there and so do most other people that post here regardless of where they live now.

[brewcrew1000]

I laugh everytime someone mentions parking or having trouble finding parking. Do they even teach Parallel Parking anymore? I have had more trouble finding parking on a wednesday night in Portland Maine then i have in KCMO on a saturday

[xenokc]

^Yeah, it's bizarre that many complain about downtown parking. There's a common mentality here with suburbanites where they want to park directly in front of their destination. The idea of walking a couple blocks is apparently a foreign concept.

[MOKAN]

Originally Posted by kcmo

You come after anybody that doesn't post as if they work for the chamber of commerce and act as if you are the only one that can say anything remotely negative about the city. Pretty easy to overact to a post clearly directed at those that don't live in KC any more. Say what you want. I know more about KC and care more about KC than probably 90% of the people that actually live there and so do most other people that post here regardless of where they live now.

I agree and see the same thing going on.

Originally Posted by brewcrew1000

I laugh everytime someone mentions parking or having trouble finding parking. Do they even teach Parallel Parking anymore? I have had more trouble finding parking on a wednesday night in Portland Maine then i have in KCMO on a saturday

You shouldn't laugh. You should consider there are others with perspectives different from yourself. You're experienced with urban areas and well-traveled, a lot of people aren't. We need to understand that and be more friendly, especially if we want to grow our urban areas.

Originally Posted by xenokc

^Yeah, it's bizarre that many complain about downtown parking. There's a common mentality here with suburbanites where they want to park directly in front of their destination. The idea of walking a couple blocks is apparently a foreign concept.

The condescending attitude isn't helpful at all.

[xenokc]

Originally Posted by MOKAN

The condescending attitude isn't helpful at all.

Nah, it's a common observation many in KC have made before I have. Even the City realized this as they responded by creating some free street parking in front of P&L stores for that reason. So was that a condescending response by the city?

[TabulaRasa]

Originally Posted by JupiterSound

Thank you all for the great answers. You have all taught me more about about Kansas City than I've ever known. Out of all the times I've been to KC (mostly West Port in KCMO and Overland Park and Olathe in KCKS) I had no idea that there was such a great place right in my own backyard.

I would really like to make the 90 mile trip up to KC and explore downtown sometime. But I have an extreme fear of driving in large cities. Some of you have mentioned that there isn't usually a high volume of traffic in downtown. Are there confusing streets in downtown? A lot of one way streets? Is it easy to get lost? As a conservative, small-town driver, i'm not used to the hustle and bustle of larger places and i'm afraid of irritating KC natives who know where they are going and and know the streets! So fear that has kept me from really experiencing downtown KC. It's frustrating!

I grew up on a farm 10 miles from the nearest (one-stoplight) town, and KC driving doesn't even faze me. It's truly the least difficult city in which to drive. Traffic is absurdly light, because it's so spread out and non-dense a metro. Parking is also the least problematic of any sizeable metro in which I have ever spent time.

[SPonteKC]

Originally Posted by TabulaRasa

because it's so spread out and non-dense a metro.

But it's not particularly spread out or non-dense as a metro. (I think the light traffic is more likely caused by overly-extensive highways and large arterial streets, but I'm no traffic engineer.)