HELP! Kansas City DISers

[tink2020]

Hey there. DH and I are passing your way for a few medical residency interviews the last week of November (27th-Dec2nd or so). Sell me on where you live!

What do I need to see to get a feel for your city? While he's interviewing, I'm going to cruise around town, because we have to eventually rank these places and may end up there for at least 4 years!

Thanks in advance!

 

[swilphil]

I just wrote a great response, and it was zapped. My favorite areas of Kansas City are the Plaza and Brookside. The Plaza (www.countryclubplaza.com) is a must see, especially at night with the Christmas lights. There are great areas to live to the south and the west of the Plaza, plus lots of parks and pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods. There are lots of apartments to the north (where I used to live) and east, as well, but some of them are older and not kept up as well as some of the others. There's a great art museum just a couple blocks east of the Plaza. A few blocks west of the Plaza is Westwood, Kansas, which is a very nice neighborhood but I think the houses are way overpriced for what you get. If you want to see where the rich and famous of Kansas City live, drive along Ward Parkway and then go two blocks west into Mission Hills, Kansas.

Brookside to the north of the Plaza is more of a residential neighborhood, but there's a cute little shopping area (www.brooksidekc.org). We take our young kids to the St. Pat's parade there every year. It's very family oriented.

Do you want to rent or buy?

Do you want a house or a condo/apt.?

Let me know if you have any questions or need directions.

 

[tink2020]

I just wrote a great response, and it was zapped. My favorite areas of Kansas City are the Plaza and Brookside. The Plaza (www.countryclubplaza.com) is a must see, especially at night with the Christmas lights. There are great areas to live to the south and the west of the Plaza, plus lots of parks and pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods. There are lots of apartments to the north (where I used to live) and east, as well, but some of them are older and not kept up as well as some of the others. There's a great art museum just a couple blocks east of the Plaza. A few blocks west of the Plaza is Westwood, Kansas, which is a very nice neighborhood but I think the houses are way overpriced for what you get. If you want to see where the rich and famous of Kansas City live, drive along Ward Parkway and then go two blocks west into Mission Hills, Kansas.

Brookside to the north of the Plaza is more of a residential neighborhood, but there's a cute little shopping area (www.brooksidekc.org). We take our young kids to the St. Pat's parade there every year. It's very family oriented.

Do you want to rent or buy?

Do you want a house or a condo/apt.?

Let me know if you have any questions or need directions.

Thanks for the info! I will definitely let you know if I have specific questions. Today, I just wanted to get started even looking things up that I might want to check out.... you've helped a ton!

Sorry your first post got lost.... I that! Thanks for taking the time to redo it for me!

 

[Minnesota!]

I live in MSP (where you are also looking) but my grandma lives in KC. Just wanted to chime in that it is SUCH a nice place to be. Nice people, nice climate. I love going down there. The Plaza is really cool. I don't think you can go wrong between KC or MSP..

 

[swilphil]

I saw on another thread that you like suburbs. Mission, Roeland Park and Prairie Village in Kansas are older suburbs with smaller houses. If you want newer houses, go South and West.

Oh, and shopping is great on the Plaza, but many of the stores are closed at night, depending on the day of the week.

Is your husband interviewing with a specific hospital or will he be at more than one?

 

[tink2020]

He is interviewing with the schools, not really with a hospital. As far as I know, the affiliate hospitals are as follows:

University of Kansas - KC:
- University of Kansas Medical Center
- Kansas City VA Medical Center
- Providence Medical Center
- other ambulatory, outpatient, etc locations

University of Missouri - KC
- Truman Medical Center Hospital Hill
- Truman Medical Center Lakewood
- Saint Luke's Hospital of Kansas City
- Children's Mercy Hospital
- Western Missouri Mental Health Center
- Kansas City Veterans Affairs Medical Center

 

[geffric]

I used to live in Kansas City. Loved it. The people are wonderful, the city is a great place.The resturants and the food are delicious.


I lived on the Kansas side, in Overland Park, near Johnson County Community College. It was a great area.

 

[AngieWin]

We are in KC, but in the North part. I love this city! Most of my must-dos are for kids though. It has been so long since I have done anything without kids, I wouldn't know where to point you!

I have had alot of experience with some of the UMKC affliate schools and they are all wonderful. Good luck!

 

[Tombstone]

Crown Center can be a lot of fun around the holidays as well. www.crowncenter.com

 

[Microcell]

Well, where can I start? What is your lifestyle? Are you still young and having fun? Are looking to start your family here? Where you might want to live depends on what your future looks like.

For your visit, be sure to eat some Kansas City BBQ, it is like none other. My personal favorite is Zarda (www.zarda.com) but some find it pedestrian. Very good but also pedestrain is Arthur Bryant's. For swank BBQ got to Jack Stack Smokestack, at 95th and Metcalf in Overland Park. There is KC Masterpiece resturant, but I don't really care for it.

I grew up in Overland Park, and it is nice for families. I now live in Lee's Summit on the Missouri side, which is called little Overland Park, all the amenties, but cheaper housing. We need good Doctors on this side of the state line, so if you get a choice, please consider TMC Lakewood.

Regular Truman is in the hood, as is Children's Mercy, but they saved my DD's life, so I consider them great! KU Med is in an iffy part of town, I would live in Johnson County if you get that one, or downtown.

If you are in the market for the young scene and can swing it, the downtown lofts are quite popular, as is the Plaza. Kansas City has a large footprint, but the cultural scene would be closer to downtown or the Plaza.

If you want to learn on your visit, Harry Truman Library is in Independence, MO right off I 70. Crown Center is so pretty this time of year, it is near the Plaza. Not much to do in Union Station, but going to see the architecture is nice, you can get some coffee there, and if you have kids, there is Science City there, which is okay. Shopping on the Plaza is nice. Nelson Atkins Museum of Art is here too. The Nutcracker ballet should be here too when you come.

I come from Detroit, so I kind of feel that Kansas City is a smaller town, but I did stay because it is a very nice town, good people. Just listen to 98.9 in the morning when you are here, the host of the morning show hits the charity thing hard between Thanksgiving and Christmas. He reads letters to the listeners about a family down on thier luck and whether it is 200.00 or 20 thousand, they get all the donations they need in minutes. My step mother has always called it the best kept secret in the midwest.

Besides if we get more people living here we can actually have Dis meets!!!!

 

[Microcell]

Westport used to be a fun bar district, but I have heard that it is kind of annoying to go there now on Friday and Saturday night.

 

[shleybird]

I just recently moved to Florida from Kansas City. It is a great town. I worked for TMC the last two years I lived there. I had some interaction with the med students and the residents there. They all really seemed to like the program through UMKC. If I had to choose I would pick Truman West. More action!! I lived North of the River, small town feel, excellent schools. If you have any specific questions about the hospital let me know.

 

[tink2020]

You all are fantastic! I am takin' notes!

 

[Feralpeg]

I lived in Kansas City the majority of my life. I lived way south on the Missouri side growing up, but my favorite place to live was north of the river. I lived in Gladstone. The North Kansas City school district is excellant. There isn't quite as much to do on the north side of town as on the Kansas side, but there is less traffic and quieter. North Kansas City hospital is a very nice hospital as well.

You will like Kansas City. If it were not for DD and her ambitions, I'd probably still be living in KC.

 

[swilphil]

Brookside to the north of the Plaza is more of a residential neighborhood, but there's a cute little shopping area (www.brooksidekc.org).

Brookside is actually SOUTH of the Plaza, on the other side of Loose Park--a great place. Westport is just north of the Plaza, and it does have some fun bars, plus a couple of nice coffee shops. I recommend Broadway Cafe.

As far as BBQ, I like Gates the best, but Arthur Bryant's is good too, though probably a little out of your way.

I have a few friends who have done their residency at KU Med. It is a great school and research hospital. Children's Mercy and St. Luke's are both great hospitals, but I don't know much about UMKC's med school, except they have a 6 year program that combined undergrad and med school.

Do you know where you are staying when you come into town??

 

[LoriKay]

We recently moved from Kansas City to Oklahoma. I don't have much to add to what the others have said but would definitely agree with everyone. I love Kansas City and would move back in a nanosecond.

 

[tink2020]

Do you know where you are staying when you come into town??

I am not sure yet. I know that one of the days the hotel is paid for by the University. We'll actually be in KC for a few days, then St. Louis, then back to KC because that's the only way we could schedule all three schools on one trip.

 

[tink2020]

Bump! Any last words?

 

[Ronda93]

I live near Liberty. It's "north of the river." We're gaining shopping and restaurants every month. I work near the Plaza (go see the lights one evening, they're beautiful). My commute is 20 minutes in light traffic (and I hit all the lights). Heavier traffic can push it to 35. Any of your Missouri choices would be similar to my commute.

You've got no kids, so unless you're really planning to take root, no school talk.

Kansas is truly golden. It enjoys all the benefits of a major metro area, yet is insulated by the state line from the costs of maintaining the infrastructure that makes it a metro. That said, their taxes support the rest of Kansas. It's very attractive over there. Everything is new, new, new. The schools are great, but well funded by high property taxes.

 

[Microcell]

I hope we have been helpful, and that you have a good trip here.

If your Dh wants lots of experience with gunshot wounds then TMC downtown is the place for him! KU Med sees it's fare share too!

Like I said before, Lees Summit needs some good doctors, our town grew from 40 to 86 thousand in 10 years, we need more doctors, for the love of pete!!!!

Have fun and get to the Plaza! I think we are going tonight!