Unconventional Courtship

This was the first morning here that I was awoken by noise, thunder I think at 6 AM and I did fall back to sleep only to wake up an hour later when it sounded like a drawer slammed in my room. It didn't of course and I'm at the end of the hall so not sure where it came from.

Even waking up early I was late getting out of here in the pouring rain which wasn't fun especially since there was no time for breakfast. Worse I forgot my list of addresses in the hotel but luckily GPS can also find things by name. I did get to Union Station in time and they had the same coffee shop chain as here so I did get breakfast after all.

The Gangster Tour wasn't as expected. In spite of all my worry I was the first person on the bus. The driver and the tour guide were both in 1920s period dress (okay for men that's just a suit (pinstripe) and fedoras. It was a mix of the guide's patter/info dumps and a tv screen with a news reporter, Johnny Holiday's (our guide) brother or his girlfriend so it looked interactive. Really nice info about John Lazia and Tom Pendergast the underworld crime boss and the political boss respectfully. Pendergast apparently never found a thing he couldn't turn into graft (like literally everything his cement business was involved in) and yet oddly he was also a friend of Harry Truman even after his corruption (Pendergast's) was exposed. Learned a ton about various buildings (including places Al Capone partied and where Pretty Boy Floyd was in theory involved in a massacre outside the Union Station. It was almost a 2 hour tour so worth the money.

After lunch in the Union I headed to the Steamboat Arabia museum (which is closing down at the end of the year) but it is in some artist market district with nothing but food traffic and zero parking other than on street which was never going to happen. After circling around for several minute (and thinking I could try tomorrow morning) I gave up and said fine, WWI memorial museum it is...right back at Union Station but up the hill.

SO...every road to the parking garage was closed. After circling it three times I gave up and since it was still raining off and on I decided no zoo. I went back to the Nelson Atkins art museum. I could have gone to the Kemper Modern art museum but I think it was 20$ and I am not a huge art fan.

Revisiting the other museum is good call. Found a whole wing I missed the first time. Found my hotel mate there too. I rode up in the elevator yesterday with a lady who liked my Huskerdust shirt. Found her again at the Red Lotus Asian restaurant (in the casino) and found her again at the museum. Told mom watch me see her again tonight.

And I go to the sports bar at the casino and who's there, my hotel mate sitting with an African American woman at the 6 seater table, the only thing open in the place. She said sit with us. She's Marta (Mexican American from CA) and Melinda is her table mate, retired today. They were also happy to see me because the two trainee waitresses kept ignoring them but responded to me. On our way out, Marta said she wondered if there was a racial component in addition to the two waitresses being new to the job and bad at it and got better when I showed up. Yeah...probably

Slot machines gobbled my money and I came back and after fighting for days to get my room to cool off, now it finally is (and almost too cold) and looking outside the street lights look like shower heads its raining so hard. Figures because I'm driving towards home tomorrow. And ooooo that was big lightning. Gonna be a fun night

So I went to Sea Life Aquarium which turns out to be IN Crown Center, down the block from the Sheraton and I could have always snuck off to see this. Snort. It's geared more to kids and is side by side with Legoland (which does not allow adults without kids in it) it was a nice (if a bit pricy) aquarium. It had sea dragons and jellyfish so I was happy (and bought an axolatol plushie I didn't need)

And it turned out this place is there with the Hallmark visitor center museum thing so why not, right? I had no idea that JC Hall started this with gathering up pre-done postcards and sending them to retailers and hoped to get paid (it's practically a scam) And did you know his first greeting card with sound was in 1924? I sure didn't. Didn't know it wasn't called Hallmark until 1954 either (it was Hall Brothers before then) Loved the display of Christmas trees. Mom loves ornaments so I wasn't leaving here without one. All the gift shop had was baby's first Xmas, first Xmas in our new home and a creepy baby's first xmas sonogram) maybe because of mother's day. So I went into the big three story mall complex to the big hallmark and they only had the same one with a couple of birds and butterflies. Got one of a peep in a egg, dumb, tiny but I have it.

From there I went to the Museum of Kansas City. It was a private residence Corinthian Hall, but only used from 1910 to 1934 and became a museum in 1940 (seems rather a waste) The ground level was preserved as it was when the Long family lived there (hope to get the pics up in the next few days) They allow no photo shoots but I could take pics with my cell phone no flash.

Me - can I use my better camera with no flash?
Them - no, just your cell phone camera
Me - um...okay, why? they're both cameras
Them - we don't allow camera cameras

I let it go because what's the point in arguing with stupid? The upstairs was modern art (including from the Native people and African American communities) One was a recorded (I think, maybe entirely AI) talk with a former Polish Jewish woman who was in one of the camps and you could ask 'her' interactive questions and the AI would find the bits to play in the prerecording (or make shit up, who knows)

It was now after 3 so I'm like yeah, not trying for another museum for less than 2 hours. I went back to Elmwood cemetery now that I have a map in my head of where Leannah Loveall (prostitute turned Madame turned religious pillar) and I found her instantly. Must have driven past her 5 times the first time I was there.

I went to historic Union Cemetery (which has well put together historic literature for you to go on a scavenger hunt with), not a lot of impressive stones but it was super inner city now and reminded me of my college dorm, with the headstones right up to the apartments (You could have slapped a headstone from my dorm room window). One had this pool side full of hammocks and loungers with a view of the cemetery. You know there's a story in that.

Came back to the casino, played Voodoo Jackpots and accidentally dragged my finger over the touchscreen, jumping my .66 cent wager to 6.60$ without me knowing it until I hit bet. And hit a free spin bonus and won 225$. I wanted to stay for more but I did the hard thing and walked away without trying to hit another one and losing it all.

here's my intoabar rough draft Hazbin Hotel/The Amazing Digital Circus. It's not ready yet to post there but I also wrote it for spikesgirl58's 6 word challenge and that's due tonight. I'll edit it and post it once I get home. Also too tired to do the fannish 50 fandom recs. I'll do that on Tuesday

the six words were Pneumonia Achieve Company Smooth Ensure Gallery


( story draft under here )