KCY Hotel recommendations?

Looking forward to my first trip on the SW Chief this Summer; LAX - CHI. Never been to Kansas City.

Any suggestions for a hotel within walking distance from the station?

Any recommendations on how to get to the Baseball field from the station? Is it within walking distance?

TIA for your help!

AmtrakPDX said:

Any recommendations on how to get to the Baseball field from the station? Is it within walking distance?

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I can answer this one: assuming you mean Kauffman Stadium, home of the Royals, it is definitely not walking distance. It's east of the city along Interstate 70, and as far as I know, your only options would be a taxi, or renting your own car -- there doesn't seem to be any sort of public transportation available for Royals games.

We stay at the Westin Crown Center which is across the street from the Amtrak KCY station. An excellent place in close proximity to museums, parks, etc. Might check with the desk to see if there are shuttles that run to the ballpark on game days.

Westin Crown Center (Starwood) is a short sky walk away from the station.

A Best Western has open near the station. With bags it's a taxi trip, however you can walk it.

I personal go with the Westin. There a nice mall area for food.

As for the ball park that's a haul from the train station / downtown area.

Can't help with getting to the ball park,but the hotels on this list are either within walking distance of the train station or provide a shuttle to/from.

Since others provided Hotel info, I'll mention that there are two Stadiums to the East of Downtown in the Truman Sports Complex, the Football Stadium where the NFL Chiefs Try to play and Kaufman Stadium where the Royals attempt to play! :giggle: The Cab Fare a Couple of years ago was like $25, but they do run Special Busses on Game Days from Park and Rides, I',m not familiar with anything from Downtown but you may try to Google up info!

When it comes to Food, lots of Famous Bar-B-Q Joints including Jack Stacks(fancy/$$$, Across the Tracks from Union Station via Skyway)/ Numerous Gates Locations and Arthur Bryant, the most Famous where all the VIPs Go!(My Favorite) The Original Bryants is located in the 19th and Vine Area which was the Old Black Entertainmnet Area back in the Bad Ole Segregation Days! The Jazz Hall of Fame/Negro Leauge Baseball Museum are located in the same Building and there are Jazz and Blues Clubs and the Original Arthur Bryants is a Couple of Blocks Farther East! Worth seeing IMO!! Take a Cab to this one!Maybe $10!!

With MAX (BRT), there are a whole lot of options for downtown. Main St. MAX stops at Union Station, and goes south to Country Club Plaza. Marriott's got a couple of properties (Fairfield and Residence) on Union Hill (Main & 31st), and just about all the chains have something at Country Club Plaza (Main & 47th). For reference, Union Station is about the 2200-2300 block of Main St.

Here's a photo of the Kansas City Westin Crown Center on an incredibly hot, muggy evening during last summer's heat wave -



And here is a photo of Kansas City Union Station taken from my room at the Westin on that same hot evening

I did a Kansas City layover specifically to attend a Royals game. Getting to the game was really easy, there was a direct bus from the Kansas City Art Museum out to the stadium complex, just had to walk down a grassy knowl through parking lots to get to the game. This bus line stops operating during daylight hours. The way home after the night game was only for those who really embrace public transportation adventures with a mile walk north to the nearest bus stop, for the last bus back downtown on Route 23 that left at 11:00pm (the one before it was 10:00pm). The bus stop was full of maybe 20 Royals employees (They were waring ID tags) through, I was the only fan. See my full post on my blog for that adventure.

There are a few hotels near Kaufman Stadium that you could stay in but they were a bit to much more my tiny (used to youth hostels) budget. I took Route 47 that took me out directly to the game from the Arts Museum next to my hotel.

Where is the Best Western that has just opened near the station.?

Best Western Kansas City Inn

501 Southwest Boulevard

Kansas City, KS 66103-1917

+1 913 677 3060

Please note it is on the south side of town. Walking distance for me may not be walking distance for you. Also "new" is more of a "newer" thing.

If you want a rental car there's a Hertz office in the Westin. We used it in connection with arrivals at departures at the station. You can just walk across the Skywalk from the station.

I always imagined myself visiting the corner of 12th Street and Vine, and looking out for those "crazy little women" of the Fats Domino song... no longer possible in reality, but I gather there is a signpost to mark the former position.

Ed

caravanman said:

I always imagined myself visiting the corner of 12th Street and Vine, and looking out for those "crazy little women" of the Fats Domino song... no longer possible in reality, but I gather there is a signpost to mark the former position.

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Fats Domino may have covered it, but that song was recorded first by Little Willie Littlefield, and the hit version was a cover by Wilbert Harrison.

12th Street and Vine don't intersect, although I'm not sure if that's because the streets have been realigned in the area, or if it's because the song was written by two white kids from Los Angeles who had never been to Kansas City.

The aforementioned Negro Leagues Museum is located at 18th Street and Vine (and Arthur Bryant's Barbecue is a few blocks east along 18th Street).

I have walked down the hill from the Fairfield many times. Reasonable and just one mile.

We love to stay at the worlds of fun village about 29 minutes away by car. They have nice cabins and cottages. Stayed there at lease six times.

Yes the crown plaza Westin and Sheraton are right across the street. We usually rent a car from there.

I love to stay at my house :giggle: approximately 35 minute drive from Kansas City Union Station. However, if the weather turns nasty, and there is train travel scheduled, the Westin Crown Center is an excellent choice. It is connected to the station via a covered, climate controlled, and secure walkway. This was a big plus after this mess:View attachment 4649

Let us no forget the best car/van service in town: Five Guys Transportation. They are clean, reasonable, and reliable.

I love to stay at my house :giggle: approximately 35 minute drive from Kansas City Union Station. However, if the weather turns nasty, and there is train travel scheduled, the Westin Crown Center is an excellent choice. It is connected to the station via a covered, climate controlled, and secure walkway. This was a big plus after this mess:

Let us no forget the best car/van service in town: Five Guys Transportation. They are clean, reasonable, and reliable.

AudenHoggart said:

If you want a rental car there's a Hertz office in the Westin. We used it in connection with arrivals at departures at the station. You can just walk across the Skywalk from the station.

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I've used them, very convenient. Enterprise is located a short way down Main and they will pick you up and drop you off.