Do u love Kansas City? (Columbia, Hannibal: house, theater, subsidized)

[rwiksell]

Originally Posted by lepoisson

It's DEFINITELY boring out here. But I mean that it's still boring for me in the city.

I'm originally from the east coast, so the mountains and the beach were only a few hours drive away. There just isn't that much to do in Missouri in the summer besides walking outside, or walking around at the mall.

If my only ideas of fun were (1) float trips and (2) country bars, I would be bored out of my mind in New York City, for instance. But that would only be because my idea of fun is too narrow. I suggest you learn some new ways to have fun. Bloom where you're planted!

[rwiksell]

Originally Posted by kcmo

You can go on a sail boat ride out of the harbor, go mountain biking, go to a "real" beach and hit a Nationals or O's game all in the same weekend here. Or you can hitch a ride on a neighbors 40 foot boat and go out into the bay for some cocktails and dock right at any number of restaurants for some crab! I can drive to one of 5 different major theme parks or road trip to Philly just to get a cheese steak (done it more than once!) or take Acela up to Manhattan for a Broadway play and be back the same day. You have three major airports including two with many international flights so the entire country and world is a nonstop flight away, you have a cruise ship terminal for trips to the Bahamas or Florida Keys. Outer banks, Virginia Beach, Ocean City, Atlantic City, Ski resorts, mountain biking resorts. I can go on and on. So much within 3 hours.

Sounds great to me! But it also sounds a little, how you say, hyper-active. Likely to create decision paralysis, like being stuck standing in front of 100 kinds of shampoo because you have absolutely no idea how to narrow it all down.

That's not a dig at the east coast. Just a little perspective about how sometimes it's good to have a modest number of choices, instead of an almost bottomless well of them.

And yes, small towns are boring in comparison, but I actually respect those who make the most of their opportunities. Perhaps when there are no broadway-style theatres, people are more likely to go see the musical their high school is putting on (even if they don't have kids!) The same with sports. And if there is no bar scene, people are more likely to socialize on the street, or in church, or in the grocery store.

Naturally, some places will have the kinds of things you personally like to do, and some won't. But as far as I'm concerned, the only places that are boring, are the places we decide to label as such.

[TabulaRasa]

Originally Posted by rwiksell

If my only ideas of fun were (1) float trips and (2) country bars, I would be bored out of my mind in New York City, for instance. But that would only be because my idea of fun is too narrow. I suggest you learn some new ways to have fun. Bloom where you're planted!

If my only ideas of fun were float trips and country bars, I'd probably want to kill myself in short order.

Which is not to say that I'm opposed to either. In theory, anyway...I've never done a float trip, and most likely won't.

But yes to the whole "boring people are easily bored" sentiment.

[kcmo]

Originally Posted by yabanci

I got the impression that the cultural offerings in KC were quite good, too.



I saw a study that showed KC is more liberal than San Jose, Sacramento and San Diego. Those aren't the most liberal places on the west coast, but it's something.

I agree about it not being too active. It'd be great if the people moving to the urban core started creating a little more energy on the street. Maybe with time....

Cultural offerings in KC are very good in KC. I guess I didn't mention them but yes. KC gets most concerts now, has the performing arts center, starlight theater etc. Honestly, I would put KC's culture and arts up with cities much larger than KC.

As far as KC being conservative. I didn't mean that in a political way. I would say KC is average politically for a large city and more liberal than many cities, especially those in the south. I don't find KC to be overly religious either, while parts of the suburbs can be very conservative and or religious, the metro as a whole is just average and the city is liberal. I meant people in KC are often a bit "cheap" as in don't want to spend money on infrastructure etc and are a bit stubborn when it comes to changing or improving. Status quo is often just fine with most people in KC. That's what I meant by that.

And yes, KC is a very slow paced and even sleepy place. Most urban streets are empty most of the time, very few places have decent pedestrian activity. There is just little to no urban bustle in KC. That doesn't mean there is nothing going on, it's just that on the surface KC often feels dead or deserted compared to most large metros, even other midwest metros. I really notice that now when I come back. It's getting better, but it's still not like most larger cities. Same with recreation. Sure some parks are busy in KC and some people will bike around the city, but compared to most coastal towns, very few people are outside doing recreational things. It is what it is...

[TabulaRasa]

Originally Posted by rwiksell

Sounds great to me! But it also sounds a little, how you say, hyper-active. Likely to create decision paralysis, like being stuck standing in front of 100 kinds of shampoo because you have absolutely no idea how to narrow it all down.

That's not a dig at the east coast. Just a little perspective about how sometimes it's good to have a modest number of choices, instead of an almost bottomless well of them.

And yes, small towns are boring in comparison, but I actually respect those who make the most of their opportunities. Perhaps when there are no broadway-style theatres, people are more likely to go see the musical their high school is putting on (even if they don't have kids!) The same with sports. And if there is no bar scene, people are more likely to socialize on the street, or in church, or in the grocery store.

Naturally, some places will have the kinds of things you personally like to do, and some won't. But as far as I'm concerned, the only places that are boring, are the places we decide to label as such.

Eh, I grew up in a small town, went to college in a small town, have nothing against small towns (and actually was never bored in a small town, nor am I now, when I visit family). People still do whatever recreational pursuits they're gonna do - not just confined to HS plays and sports, either, those those certainly do get supported by the community - they just drive further to do it. I knew plenty of folks who had season pro sports tickets, went to theatre regularly...they just drove the hour-plus into the Chicago area, etc. to do it. There were bars, restaurants, festivals, social events, civic organizations, etc. in our community and in surrounding ones. It wasn't just a bunch of people holed up in their houses and/or going to church.

Boring is more reflective of the person than the place, IMO. Some people need stimulation dropped in their laps with minimal personal effort, others find all kinds of things stimulating. If lots of things are fun and interesting to you, you're never bored anywhere.

[lepoisson]

I usually look for amusement by walking around. Cities like NY and Chicago have large shopping areas that are very walkable. You can window shop, see sights, walk by restaurants. After a few times, the Plaza gets boring.

I could walk every day in NYC or DC and see something new every day.

Out here in the boonies, I can walk around and see nothing but fields. Not very stimulating...

[SPonteKC]

Steps to immediate happiness for lepoisson:

1. Memorize Dream Song # 14 by John Berryman.

2. Get a physically exhausting job.

3. Quit whining. It's unbecoming of a man. Even if you are a woman.

4. Enjoy your 20s.

[rwiksell]

Originally Posted by lepoisson

I usually look for amusement by walking around. Cities like NY and Chicago have large shopping areas that are very walkable. You can window shop, see sights, walk by restaurants. After a few times, the Plaza gets boring.

I could walk every day in NYC or DC and see something new every day.

Out here in the boonies, I can walk around and see nothing but fields. Not very stimulating...

Solution for the "boring" Plaza: switch from building-watching to people-watching. Once you get used to the buildings they become boring, because they don't move and rarely change. The people move and change constantly.

Solution for the "boring" nothing-but-fields: Look at what's IN the fields, or around them and between them. Look for wildlife. Observe the crops or other plants, and the way they grow and change from season to season. Learn something about the geography and topography, and the lives of the people who manage it. In other words, look closer!

[TabulaRasa]

Originally Posted by lepoisson

I usually look for amusement by walking around. Cities like NY and Chicago have large shopping areas that are very walkable. You can window shop, see sights, walk by restaurants. After a few times, the Plaza gets boring.

I could walk every day in NYC or DC and see something new every day.

Out here in the boonies, I can walk around and see nothing but fields. Not very stimulating...

After a few times, ALL shopping gets boring.

Give me a quiet place to hike, any day.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by s.davis

It's one of the primary reasons I stay here. I spend about 75 days a year involved in outdoor pursuits which are nearly unmatched outside the Great Plains and greater Midwest.


That's probably 3-4 times more than supposedly "outdoorsy" people in a lot of the kinds of places people imagine are "outdoorsy".

Outdoor recreation is better in Missouri portion of KC, not good at all in much of Kansas. Acreage of parks, conservation is low in Johnson County based on its population. Nowhere near enough land was conserved, purchased, or set aside due to an extreme amount of greed and people selling out to developers for a quick dollar. The good thing about conserving more land (other than the obvious recreation, wildlife, and health benefits) is that it does end up preventing additional oversupply of housing on the real estate front, making most real estate more valuable due to conserved land and somewhat less housing stock.