FriendlySkies

Final Details for next week:

Friday Morning/Afternoon

• For those arriving early, I plan to venture over to the TWA Museum (10 Richards Rd) which is located at the Downtown KC airport (MKC) around 10:00am or so (we can coordinate for those who are interested). They are located 4.4 miles north of the Westin and parking is free. There are a number of signs on the outside of the building, but if you get lost, it's the Signature Flight Support building on the south side of the airport. The museum is open 10:00am-4:00pm.
• Boulevard Brewery offers a fun tour for a nominal fee and it comes with several tasters of beer. IIRC, it takes about an hour, so this could be an activity to consider.
• There are also distillery tours from J. Rieger & Co., Tom's Town Distilling and Lifted Spirits Distillery to consider for those arriving with enough time before dinner.

Friday Evening

• Dinner will be held at the midtown Q39 location (1000 W 39th St, KC/MO) at 5pm. We have reservations for up to forty people, though as we are not doing private dining, some of the tables may be split off.
• I will be getting there around 4:45pm to make sure everything is setup and will have name tags you can wear.
• This Q39 location is 2.5 miles (10 minutes) south of the Westin/Union Station area, so you could easily grab a Bus/Lyft/Uber/taxi there if needed. Some folks did rent cars, though many did not, so carpooling will likely be best.
• The menu is located here and has a ton of offerings.
• In my almost fourteen years on FT has taught me anything, it's that we all love our miles and points! Sadly, Q39 is not going to do individual checks for forty folks. They are being really nice to accommodate all of us, especially on a Friday evening. Due to this, I am asking you to please be prepared to pay me for your beverages/meal/tip via Paypal/Venmo/Zelle. You are also welcome to give me cash, but you'll have to get with Q39 for change.

• After dinner, we can head back into the City and meet up for additional liquid refreshments. KC is home to a ton of bars, etc for those wishing to grab a night cap. Depending on room assignments, we can also try to plan something at the Westin. I'm only lifetime Marriott Gold, so I am not holding my breath for a suite upgrade

Saturday

• The first stop of the day will be Slap's in KCK (553 Central Ave) -- They are located 2.5 miles (or approx. ten minutes) west of downtown KC/MO/the Westin
• They open at 11:00am, though to allow the vast majority of us to get seats on their outdoor, rooftop patio, I would recommend getting there around 1030am. As @jackal previously mentioned, they do offer online ordering, so you could always considering making an order prior to departing (if their system will allow it prior to them opening for the day). If not, I will plan to be in line at 1030.
• The menu is located here if you would like to familiarize yourself with it. They also serve a variety of beer (local and otherwise).

• The second stop of the day will be Woodyard BBQ (3001 Merriam Lane, KCK) which is 6.5 miles south of Slap's. Assuming the weather is nice, they also have a good section of outdoor seating to enjoy ribs and other goodies.
• Their menu is located here.

• The third stop of the day will be Joe's KC (formerly Oklahoma Joes) at 3002 W 47th Ave which is the original/gas station location and is fairly close to Woodyard (less than a ten minute drive).
• Parking is definitely a challenge, so carpooling would be a good idea.
• The Joe's menu is located here and they have a variety of beer as well.

Saturday Afternoon

• If you've made it this far and aren't stuffed with BBQ, we can wander south to BB's Lawnside BBQ (1205 E 85th St, KC/MO) located 7.6 miles south of Joe's KC.
• Their menu is here and contains a nice variety of items and live blues music!

• For those looking to get something other than BBQ, or for a palate cleanser, I would suggest visiting Betty Rae's Ice Cream in the River Market (412 Delaware Street, KC/MO).
• As several folks won't be arriving until later Friday afternoon, this may be the best time to visit Boulevard, J. Rieger or other locations. We're also home to the KC Bier Company which has a cool Bierhalle and Biergarten and they're only 1.8 miles from BB's (so it could be walkable or we could shuttle folks if rideshare doesn't work out).
• The TWA Museum will be open 10:00am-4:00pm, so if you missed your chance on Friday, this would be a great time to swing through. Be sure to check out their gift shop!

Saturday Evening

• From prior BBQ DO's, folks will likely fill up with BBQ, so I am leaving dinner (if anybody is even hungry....!) open. Depending on who gets the largest hotel room, we can try to organize an after party or head out to one of the many local bars for those who might be interested in a liquid refreshment. We've got a Costco, along with several liquor stores, near downtown to pickup supplies as necessary.
• The Royals are playing the Oakland Athletics at 6:10pm if anybody is interested in going. It's a bit of a drive from downtown, but certainly a cool ballpark to go to.

If you have any questions/comments/concerns, feel free to reach out. I look forward to seeing everybody and enjoying some delicious BBQ! The interest in this DO has been a bit shocking to me (I expected maybe five-ten folks), so while it may not initially feel like a well oiled machine, I think it'll still be a good time!



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It's been several years since we had a BBQ DO in Kansas City, so we'd like to welcome you all back for some world class BBQ and good times with other FTers! Our new, consolidated airport terminal will also be open, so come enjoy actual food/beverage options, more than one bathroom stall and an 11,000sqft DL SC with an outdoor deck!

We've picked the first weekend of May to avoid Mother's Day, the various college graduations and Memorial day. Like before, the DO will begin Friday afternoon/evening with Happy Hour at Jack Stack in downtown KC/MO. We'll then head over to Q39, a popular BBQ joint south of downtown, for dinner at 7:30pm. KC has a ton of bars for those wishing to continue the night! Hotel/Transportation info will be in the second post. We've got representation from all of the major chains and Cabs/Lyft/Uber/Scooters are plentiful.

Friday, May 5th

Due to the group size, we're going to start Friday night with dinner at Q39 (5pm reservation) on 39th Street in KC/MO. There is a $100 deposit which I will pay and will be deducted from our bill. Be prepared to pay for your portion with PayPal/Venmo/Zelle as they won't split a check thirty ways. Everybody will be able to order whatever they want off the menu; Q39 will not make us do a fixed menu since we are not doing private dining. Post-dinner, KC is home to tons of fun bars and those who are interested can migrate back towards Downtown for drinks, dessert, etc.

ETA - 3/22/2023 -- Due to the huge interest in attending, I am setting a cap of 39 for the Friday night dinner. We've got reservations for thirty-nine attendees. I'll keep a waitlist if we go over that number and will gladly clear folks to it if others cancel. By keeping the number lower, we avoid having to pay for private dining (minimum $2,500 spend).

Dinner -- Q39 Midtown (KC/MO)
• 5pm
• Menu

Saturday, May 6th

From prior DO's, some folks either fill themselves at Joe's or eat small to allow for sampling as much BBQ throughout the day.

Joe's KC (formerly Oklahoma Joe's) opened in 1996 at a gas station in Kansas City, Kansas. They've since expanded, though this is a classic KC BBQ option and one of the best. The Z-Man sandwich and a cup of gumbo is a great way to start the day! They open at 11:00am and it's not uncommon to see lines out the door, so get here early. This is about 12-15 minutes southwest of downtown KC/MO.

Slap's (KCK) opened in 2013 in downtown Kansas City, Kansas and is just a few minutes west of downtown KC/MO. The lines can be long, but they move fast and their roof top deck offers great views of the KC skyline while enjoying excellent ribs, burnt ends, brisket and more.

Woodyard BBQ (KCK) has been around for decades and offers outdoor seating, excellent BBQ and draft beer (what more could you ask for?).

BB's Lawnside BBQ (KC/MO) opened in 1950 and is known for their blues and their BBQ. Ask for a pit tour while you're there!

Betty Rae's Ice Cream (KC/MO) is a great choice for those wanting a palate cleanser. With 26 flavors of ice cream, they're a quick ride on the Street Car towards the River Market.

Other Activities

Looking for something to do where food isn't involved? Check out the Boulevard Brewery Tour ($15) and get five 5oz samples over the hour long visit.

Whisky fan? J. Rieger & Co. and West Bottoms Whiskey Co. both offers tours.

The TWA Museum, located at the downtown airport (MKC), is a hidden gem and full of aviation history! Open 10:00am-4pm on Friday and Saturday.

The Kansas City Royals are playing the Oakland Athletics on Saturday at 6:10pm. Kauffman Stadium, or "The K", is a fairly short ride from downtown Kansas City.

Sunday, May 7th

If you're not flying out first thing in the morning and have some empty room in your stomach, join the remaining attendees for brunch or other activities around town!


CONFIRMED:

1. FriendlySkies
2. Susiesan+1
3. GW McLintock
4. AFAM-DFW
5. Majuki
6. crankychick
7. mnmag
8. Long Train Runnin
9. SanDiego1K+1
10. Governator
11. cocobird
12. CMK10 -
13. JRP2
14. Rxgeek+1
15. bk3day
16. krazykanuck
17. Zorak
18. SEA777GUY
19. BTA
20. dinoscool3
21. MCI777
22. BOB W
23. BDNYC
24. monitor
25. frantic
26. diburning
27. kirkwoodj
28. yul36
29. jackal
30. serfty (Friday only)
31. Calchas
32. travelinterpreters+1 (Friday only)
33. Seeya
34. beckoa
35. holland
36. katycab

TENTATIVE:

• fezzington
• GregL
• cawhite
• captaink
• SFOTerry
• Viajero Millero

NEXT YEAR!

• Sweet Willie
• CDKing
• ElmhurstNick
• colpuck
• FlyingMachine
• GRALISTAIR
• legalalien

GW McLintock

What an itinerary! I am planning on attending, and will more than likely do the brewery tour.

-J.

dr88

Should be a great weekend! Looking forward to it.

FriendlySkies

Lodging

Kansas City is represented by all of the major hotel chains and below are some options to look into:

• Ambassador Hotel (Marriott)
• Hilton President
• Hotel Kansas City (Hyatt - Unbound Collection)
• IHG options in Kansas City and surrounding areas
• Kansas City Marriott
• Loews Kansas City - brand new
• Sheraton Crown Center (Downtown)
• Westin Crown Center (Downtown)

BTA

I need to get back to KC, and this sounds awesome. Great BBQ, and I�ve been wanting to do the Boulevard tour too.

plus an airport from this century!!!

really hope to make it.

boeing777euro

Yessssssss. Gr�ezi BBQ !!!

AFAM-DFW

I’m looking forward to the DO revival. Reserved Westin Crown Center. Thinking about Stroud’s for chicken for lunch Friday or Sunday. The suggested BBQ suggestions are great.

FriendlySkies

I just had dinner, though I am now hungry again when thinking of their delicious cinnamon rolls! Haven't been since pre-Covid Another good chicken option, located next to the original Ok Joes, is Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken.

GW McLintock

Some of the Bonvoy properties (including the Marriott listed above) have very good points availability at the moment. I just booked the The Westin Kansas City at Crown Center on a points savers rate.

-J.

mnmag

I am interested!

legalalien

Mmm... BBQ, Beer, Baseball. The only thing missing is ... Me!

Mark me tentative, please. Tough to plan that far in advance.

lamphs

While I can't attend, the BBQ joints are all quite good from previous experience. I also recommend the WW I museum for a visit.

susiesan

Daniel, it's susiesan not susieQ

crankychick

Sounds like a blast! I am in

Majuki

I'm in.