Ah… vacations are so pleasant and refreshing. Two weekends ago, Cece and I were off to Kansas City for a weekend away from everything normal. Yes, it took me that long to finish this post. Good company, awesome food, race cars, art galleries and beer… what else can you ask for. It was race weekend at Kansas Speedway and in my typical fashion I opted to skip the Nascar Truck race Saturday and go to just the IRL race. Friday we went to the IRL driver’s meet-and-great. Last I heard, the IRL mandates drivers to attend an event like this at every track and as a fan, I really appreciate that. There’s nothing like seeing Danica Patrick up close and personal (again) and I really enjoy talking to Helio Castroneves. I realize the experience means nothing to him really aside from appreciation of having great fans, but he truely is one of the most personal drivers I have ever met in IRL or Nascar (which is quite a few). He talks to you like you’re an old friend, it is great. After the meet-and-great, we headed to Joe’s Crab Shack for a giant feast! Mussels, clams crab (two types), and shrimp… a pound of each. Plus sausage, potatoes and corn on the cob. I wish they would open one in Nebraska. Does anyone know the difference between mussels and clams, besides the color of the shell. Nebraska Games and Parks consider these to be the same thing I think, according to the fishing guide.

Saturday afternoon we were off to the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art and the Kansas City Sculpture Park and Nelson-Atkins Museum. This was a good way to spend the afternoon doing free activities. Unfortunately we didn’t get to spend much time at the Nelson-Atkins Museum and it was really the best attraction of the three. I would recommend going there first and then walk the Kansas City Sculpture Garden and then head over to the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art if you still have time. I can’t wait to go back and finish going through the Nelson-Atkins Museum, which could take hours. We did a little shopping on the way back to the hotel and then headed to Fiorella’s Jack Stack Barbecue. Typically I favor Aurthur Bryant’s BBQ but this is equally as good and has a much better atmosphere for a nice dinner. After that, we headed back downtown and drove by The Blue Room (Jazz club) but no one was playing. We also found the original Authur Bryant’s by accident. Since that scene was kind of boring we headed down to the Power and Light District. This is really like 3 or 4 buildings with a giant roof over the open area between the buildings (which is basically a giant dance floor and social area). There are like 40 bars inside and beer carts in the open area. We ended up at the Irish Pub, the only place without a line, to listen to a little cover band called Flannigan’s Right Hook. Interesting thing was they had a violin player and played everything from Metallica, to Grateful Dead, to U2, to Sublime. It was a pretty eventful day to say the least.

Sunday was race day. We stopped at the Legend’s Mall for a little bit before the race so Cece could do some shoe shopping. We went to the track around noon. I failed to mention the race Saturday was rained out and I actually didn’t think we would make it through the IRL without rain. Anytime some one is going to the track for the first time, I tell them to take a truck for a reason. As we pulled in, I was asked if I had 4 wheel drive and if I wanted to get dirty for a good spot… of course I said yes. We were shuffled to a different line and we slid our way right up to the fence along the concrete to park. We walked around the vendors for a bit and had a few beers before the race. It was cold and cloudy and the race was kind of uneventful actually but it was still a good time. Luckily we didn’t get any rain. After the race we sat and watched all the traffic for awhile because all the traffic that came in after us turned the parking lot into a muddy, muddy mess. After a little fun driving in the mud we headed to Stix for dinner. Another awesome restaurant I wish we had in Lincoln. We had szechuan and sushi and really it was some good sushi in comparison to what I have had around here and it was really pretty affordable. We had two sushi rolls and split an entree for $29 with tip. The rolls were the size of a full sheet of nori (so the bigger rolls) and 6-8 slices. We also grabbed some ice cream at Sheridan’s Frozen Custards for the drive home (which actually was plagued with blinding rain and high wind, but we made it back in one piece). If I ever get around to figuring out what to do with my Gallery; I’ll post some pictures. It was such a great weekend that I am ready for another vacation!