Informal query: Favorite street to drive on in KC area? (Kansas City: houses, neighborhoods)

[ProspectiveTransplant]

I'm just curious what others here think. My favorites would probably be Ward Parkway, Troost, and 175th St (between Olathe and Spring Hill).

[TabulaRasa]

Anything in the historic Northeast.

[MOKAN]

Some of my favorites are:

-Ward Parkway, which is self-explanatory.
-Shawnee Mission Parkway (original older section off Plaza).
-Gladstone BLVD in old Northeast (both the historic and scenic sections).
-Missouri 45 west of Parkville (through the hills and flat, unmolested river valley).
-Kansas 5 between Wyandotte County Lake and Leavenworth. This is a very windy highway, probably moreso than any other in the KC region. I'm not sure, but I suspect the unique hills in this area are glaciated.

I could go on all day, but other streets of interest are:

-South Esplanade St in Leavenworth (lined with historic houses on one side, view of MO river and valley on other side from high bluff).
-Westwood Drive in Leavenworth (winter only, neatest at night - like being on a mountain, this view provides a unique view of the entire city of leavenworth with the lit-up federal prison in the background).
-Blue Ridge BLVD bridge over Truman Rd (provide same type of view as the one described above, but of KCMO's oldest neighborhoods with downtown in the background).
-Kansas 32 (the most interesting alternative route to Lawrence, used this just the other day).
-For some country fun, like popping over hills where you feel it in your gut, rural northern Platte County is ideal, especially west of I-29, which isn't far from the Missouri 45 I mentioned earlier.

[MOKAN]

Originally Posted by ProspectiveTransplant

I'm just curious what others here think. My favorites would probably be Ward Parkway, Troost, and 175th St (between Olathe and Spring Hill).

You should explain why you like each street you mentioned. I'm especially curious about 175th St because I'm unfamiliar.

[kcmo]

I like to take Ward Parkway north into the city and catch Southwest Trafficway north toward downtown. It's cool how it transitions from a historic boulevard lined with fountains and mansions and slowly becomes more and more urban and built up till you reach downtown as you pass through the Plaza, Westport and Midtown.

I also like approaching the Downtown skyline from US-71 northbound, Main Street northbound and US-169 southbound.

[TabulaRasa]

Originally Posted by MOKAN

Some of my favorites are:


-Shawnee Mission Parkway (original older section off Plaza).

Hee, I have to drive this every day, and it's such a speed trap! Maybe I need to gain in appreciation.

-Gladstone BLVD in old Northeast (both the historic and scenic sections).

Love this.

-South Esplanade St in Leavenworth (lined with historic houses on one side, view of MO river and valley on other side from high bluff).

Good call! I like driving around inside Ft. Leavenworth.

[thefallensrvnge]

Way into the outskirts, there is a road in Miami county that used to be quite popular when I was a kid called "Gravity Hill". It's a road that appears flat through an optical illusion (called a magnetic hill, I believe), but is actually slanted to a degree. Anyway, all of us stupid teenagers would put our cars into neutral and turn of the engine and watch as our car slowly but "magically" rolled to a string of railroad tracks in the distance. It even had it on little ghost story about how a little girl died on the tracks, and her spirit pushes all cars to the tracks to be hit by an oncoming train in hopes of gaining someone to keep her company. The legend says that if the moon is out, and the air's thick you can get out of your car to see hand prints from the girl's spirit pushing your car.

Good fun if we didn't have the gas to make it to Kansas City.

[Okey Dokie]

Originally Posted by TabulaRasa

Good call! I like driving around inside Ft. Leavenworth.

I didn't think the everyday public could just drive onto FTL anymore. But I agree it's a neat place. Several years ago I went on a open house tour of the oldest, biggest officers' homes. Very historic.

I like Ward Parkway and Mission Drive in Mission Hills. I also like "old" K-10 to Lawrence, because it brings back such happy memories of my days at KU.

[pacificwhim]

Cool thread. As a native Californian, I love to drive. And as a recent KC transplant, I've been wondering about nice drives. I'll have to try these.

[Weaubleau]

Ward Parkway, Roanoke north of 39th st, 63rd st east of Nall to Meyer Blvd, 59th St south of Loose Park, Kansas Ave through KCK, 7th st Trafficway through KCK, 79th St in old Overland Park, the main drag through Parkville, Armour Blvd through North Kansas City, Cliff drive through the Northeast, there are a lot of cool places to drive in the KC area!