Any Given Sunday

It's another football Sunday. I'm a true NFL fanactic. In fact, my current ring tone is Hank Williams singing, "Are You Ready for Some Football?"

Missouri's teams have not had good seasons so far, but the Kansas City Chiefs turned it around today. The Chiefs have some of the most loyal fans in the NFL and Arrowhead Stadium is one of the toughest stadiums to play. The tailgating begins early no matter the weather.

Now, we just need our Rams to get back on track. St. Louis is another great sports town, and the fans are just waiting on the team to get back to its Superbowl days.

Now I've tuned into the Sunday night game. While they aren't Missouri teams, I expect to enjoy myself anyway.

Playing Hooky at the St. Louis Zoo

Last month I "borrowed" my favorite eight-year-old for a road trip to the St. Louis Zoo. I took the day off of work so we could travel to the zoo before she started school.

We had great weather, particularly for August, and spent all day enjoying this world-class zoo.

The zoo sits in Forest Park, the site of the 1904 World's Fair. There are other great attractions in Forest Park, such as the Science Center, the Art Museum and the Missouri History Museum, but we had too much to do and see to make it anywhere else that day.

This summer the zoo played host to Dinoroarus, an exhibit of life-sized animatronic dinosaurs. These guys roar and move. Izzy was fascinated, but when I asked her to get closer so I could take a picture, she claimed to be "scared" of the some of them. She explained that she was okay with the Tricerotops because "it's a plant eater." I reminded her that they weren't real, but she wasn't having it. (Don't you love the logic of eight-year-old girls?)

In addition to this exhibit, we took in the motion simulator rides, one which was in 3D, enjoyed the Sea Lion show, took a ride on the zoo railroad and visited the children's zoo. Plus we saw the lions, tigers and bears. (Oh my!)

I must have taken 200 pictures. It was a great day and I highly recommend that you visit when you can.

Take Time to Play

It's another beautiful September morning in Missouri, and I stepped outside to enjoy it for a few minutes. While some of the trees are beginning to drop their leaves, most are still green. The Missouri Department of Conservation is predicting a colorful fall, so pretty soon we'll be seeing lots of red and gold.

So I walked down High Street in downtown Jefferson City and noticed a little girl and her mom heading in the other direction. The little girl was scooping up some of the leaves that have already fallen and was running after her mother and tossing them. They were both laughing, and the mom kept saying, "I'm going to get you." It was cute and it made me smile to watch them.

They reminded me that beauty is all around us (don't I sound like a greeting card?) and we should take time to appreciate what is right in front of us. So take time to play today. Look around and you'll be surprised at what brings you joy. You'll be glad you did.

Sunday football

Well, it was another sad day for Missouri's pro football teams. The Rams went down to division competitor Seattle, while the Chiefs lost to Atlanta. *Sigh*

The Coolest Hotel Room ever

A couple of weeks ago, I checked into the coolest hotel room ever. The color scheme was lime green, silver and red. The wood was dark. The headboard used red fabric and sat against an accent wall sporting the lime green. There’s a towel folded into the shape of an elephant sitting in the chair in the room. How cool is that? Instead of doors, the closet has curtains. The hotel’s Web site describes the décor as Art Deco. I just know I like it. A lot.

I stayed at the Aladdin Hotel in downtown Kansas City. Downtown KC is undergoing a transformation, becoming a hip, exciting place again. You can feel the energy in the Power and Light District.

And this hotel was totally cool. (By the way, how many times can I use the word “cool” to describe this place?). So I did a little research and learned the property has received a gazillion awards, including 2007 Holiday Inn Renovation of the Year Award, the 2007 Missouri Preservation Award, the 2007 Kansas City Historical Preservation Award and the 2007 Best Kansas City Lodging Establishment. The hotel is on the National Register of Historic Places and within walking distance of the Power and Light District.

There’s a spa, restaurants, a rooftop ballroom and a Martini loft for meeting friends and lounging. The Aladdin combines old and new in a way that works. This is the place to stay if you like an urban vibe, architecture and modern amenities. Be sure and check it out.

Eating my way across the state

One of the highpoints of my job is escorting press on tours of tourism destinations and attractions around the state. I get to take them to amazing venues and sit down to some unbelievable food. The drawback is too much good food.

On a recent tour we crossed the state from west to east and then west again. In Kansas City, we checked out a sample platter at perennial favorite Arthur Bryant’s. The platter included ribs, brisket, sausage and chicken, plus coleslaw and baked beans. Stuffed to the gills.

We sampled several dishes off the menu at Jefferson City’s new brew pub, Prison Brews. Located near the original Missouri State Prison, the brewery offers an eclectic menu. Our group chose salads with cranberry and walnuts, a Reuben, a wood-fired pizza and beer bread and cheese. Several in the group also enjoyed the home brewed root beer.

In St. Louis we dined on a duet of Chicken Cordon Bleu and filet of beef while cruising the Mighty Mississippi on a riverboat. Cheesecake rounded out that meal.

Traveling south, we enjoyed a languorous meal at Chaumette Winery in Ste. Genevieve. The Tuscan roasted red pepper soup made me seriously ask the owner if I could take the chef home with me. The grilled pork chops sealed the deal. (I did ask the chef; he turned me down). Others at the table had pretzel crusted tilapia with mustard creamed spinach, salmon and crab cakes. For dessert, some of us sampled the blueberry custard, while others enjoyed peach cobbler or watermelon sorbet.

If you’ve never experienced the Blue Owl in Kimmswick, a little river town south of St. Louis, you don’t know what you’re missing. The menu is varied, and our merry little group picked from all over it. On one end of the spectrum, some in our group ordered the strawberry salad. At the other, heavier end, there was chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes and green beans and a roll as big as your head. Soups included taco, white chili and Canadian cheese. The quiches of the day included ham and broccoli and crab and asparagus. The restaurant is known for its levy-high apple pie and assorted other desserts.

Even though it may seem like all we did was eat, we did visit many tourist attractions along the way.

Eat Local

One of the great ways to experience a community is to eat where the locals eat.

Tonight I met up with my soror who was in the next town over (Columbia) for a conference. It's where we went to college, so she knows her way around, but she's not familiar with the current restaurant scene. Columbia offers an amazing variety of dining options from fine dining to greasy spoons. Cusines range from Thai and Indian to Mediterrean, Greek and Americana. There's a lot to choose from that we either didn't know about or wouldn't have been able to enjoy when we were the proverbial poor college students.

We went to a locally-owned restaurant, Addison's, located downtown in The District. The District is home to shops, restaurants and entertainment options. It was a great night to be out, and people milled about the stage set up on Ninth Street, listening to the performers.

In addition to the great food at Addison's, the restaurant showcases the work of a local Columbia artist, David Spear. A painting featuring the four owners hangs near the bar. You can check out Spear's work at his online gallery AlleywayArts.

We ate light, sharing a fruit and cheese plate and a fabulous tempura lobster ravioli. She enjoyed a glass of reisling with hers, but since I had to drive home, it was iced tea for me. Maybe next time, we'll get to enjoy a nice Missouri wine, perhaps from Les Bourgeoise right outside Columbia in Rocheport.

My soror had several other places she intended to visit on her culinary trip down memory lane - Shakespeare's Pizza and Booches - the best hamburgers you've ever tasted - topped her list. But no matter where your tastes run, Columbia can please your palate.

Remininscing

My soror (Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.) , line sister and college roommate is in Columbia for a conference. Since that's right up the road from Jefferson City, I'm heading that way for dinner and remininscing. The beauty of this get-together is that Columbia is home to the University of Missouri where we met. So, I'm sure our evening will be filled with lots of laughter as we talk about how the town has changed and play remember when.

Columbia is a great restaurant town, and since I live close, I've experienced many of them. I'll be sure to let you know where we end up and what we eat.

Time Flies

Last week I spent some time on the campus of the University of Missouri in Columbia (Mizzou) where I did my undergrad. It was a beautiful early fall day, with sunshine, blue skies and moderate temperatures.

Students were sitting outside enjoying the weather, particularly on Francis Quadrangle, site of the iconic columns. These six columns are all that are left of the administration building that burned in the late 1800s. The original marker from Thomas Jefferson's grave also can be found on the Quad.

As I watched the "kids" enjoying the day, I couldn't help but think about my own school days and how it doesn't seem like it's been more than 20 years since I was in their shoes.

If you've never been to Columbia, it's a great town, full of surprises, including a culinary scene that has to be sampled to be believed.

Towne Grille

It's a beautiful sunny September afternoon and I took a lunch time stroll. Jefferson City's downtown is quite charming, and people were enjoying the outdoors and eating lunch at the tables sitting outside various restaurants and coffee shops.

I chose to indulge myself with a good old-fashioned cheeseburger and fries at a Jefferson City institution - Towne Grille.

Sitting at the counter with my library book, I could enjoy the scene around me, including the chicken fried steak being enjoyed by the guy sitting next to me. It was served with the requisite mashed potatoes both covered generously with cream gravey and mixed vegetables. Maybe next time. . .

If you're ever in my town, be sure and check out this fabulous diner.