Historic Brookfield Building Reopening Soon as Hotel Indigo and Fairfax Lofts

By Kevin Collison Back in its previous heyday, the historic Fairfax building at 11th and Baltimore, later known as the Brookfield, was the place to buy a train or airplane ticket in Kansas City. When it opened in 1930, the 12-story Art Deco tower was named after the then-new Fairfax airport in Kansas City, Kan….

Wu Tang Noodles,

Shaka Noodle Shack & Hang 10 Pier Land in North Kansas City

A framed photo of Chewbacca holding a surfboard hangs over the table where a couple is digging into a plate of noodles that’s topped with Alfredo sauce, avocado sour cream, and chimichurri. This is the Shaka Noodle Shack, where the decor is as unexpected as the flavor combinations. While we’re still getting our footing, it…

Holiday Magic Begins at Union Station Saturday

Union Station begins the holiday season this Saturday with a day full of free activities for the family capped by the colorful illumination of the historic building and a magical stage and aerial performance by Quixotic. And if that’s not enough, for only $3 per person you can enjoy the Griswold family’s holiday misadventures on…

Mayor James Slams GOP Tax Proposals as ‘Crippling’ to City Redevelopment Including Downtown

Mayor James came out swinging today against Republican tax reform proposals being considered in Washington, saying they would “cripple” vital city redevelopment and infrastructure efforts including the planned new terminal at KCI. “We need an agenda to revitalize and restore the infrastructure of our cities, not cripple future investment in our urban centers,” James said…

Broadway Bistro Adds Jazzy New Vibe to Quality Hill Corner

By Kevin Collison A new bistro and speakeasy bar with plenty of live music on the side have opened in a historic Garment District building at 10th and Broadway in the Quality Hill neighborhood. Broadway Bistro, which offers a full-service breakfast, lunch and dinner menu all week including a Sunday brunch buffet, debuted a week…

Sympathetic Vibrations | Still Trucking

A veritable torrent of rock nostalgia will flow from the recordBar tomorrow night, when ‘90s alt-rockers Truck Stop Love reunites for the first time in 13 years. This is one of a trio of shows to promote the release of its new-but-old LP, “Can’t Hear It: 1991-1994.” The sharp, uptempo alt rock on the record…

Late Night Doughnuts & Other Weekend Possibilities

The world needs more ways to get doughnuts into your system. Doughnut Lounge (4147 Pennsylvania Ave.) has two new opportunities for you to make that happen. Their food truck hit the road recently, and they also launched a late-night doughnut menu this week. The Westport coffee, bar, and doughnut shop is now serving donuts from 8 p.m. to…

Best Eat In the House | Slap’s BBQ’s The Mike Johnson

Best Eat in the House features dining recommendations from people in and around Kansas City. For this episode, we asked Local Pig and Pigwich co-owner Alex Pope for the one dish he loves, and he couldn’t wait to talk about The Mike Johnson at Slap’s BBQ. The burnt end beauty gets a collection of sweet…

Transit Agency Offers Online Ride-Hailing Service Downtown, Plans Metro Expansion in New Year

By Kevin Collison An online, Uber-style ride-hailing service originally established for disabled passengers by the KCATA is being quietly offered in the downtown area to the general public on a pilot basis and is expected to be expanded metro-wide early next year. The program, RideKC Freedom On-Demand, allows users to download an app or call…

Free State Brewing Breakaway IPA.

Tap List | New Axiom Brewing Coming to Lee’s Summit

Homebrewers from 11 Letter Brews and Middle Ground Zymurgy and Tapworx have joined forces to create New Axiom Brewing Company (949 NE Columbus St., Lee’s Summit, Missouri). Head brewers Mac Lamken, Devin Glaser, Sean Householder and Joe Migletz, director of taproom operations, are behind the brewery-in-planning. While New Axiom’s team has just begun demolition on their…

Downtown Dazzle Lights Up Washington Square Park This Holiday Season and Expands Schedule

By Kevin Collison The fourth annual Downtown Dazzle, downtown Kansas City’s holiday showcase, is decorating Washington Square Park this year with a new light show intended to create a festive, walkable district that includes Crown Center and Union Station. It’s all part of a new strategy for the annual celebration that seeks to better connect…

Crossroads Sculptor Offers Healing Idea for Former Confederate Memorial Site

By Kevin Collison Sculptor Spencer Schubert has his works prominently displayed across the region from Manhattan to Jefferson City, and now wants to do something closer to home as a healing gesture for his community. He’s proposing a soaring sculpture of two hands grasping a knotted rope as a sign of unity to replace a…

Hello Atelier | Inside the House of Tula Pink

Fabric designer Tula Pink has created a fantasy world we can visit through her art. Her fabric designs are bright, colorful and just a bit surreal – psychedelic cats, day-glo frogs, and swirling octopuses have all taken center stage in her fabric collections. Pink’s designs have garnered her an international following of fans, dubbed Tula’s…

Kansas City Streetcar Project Wins Global Recognition, Passes 3 Million Rider Mark

By Kevin Collison The Kansas City streetcar project can add some international honors to the national recognition its received since opening in May 2016. During the same month the streetcar broke 3 million passengers, the streetcar was honored as Project of the Year in the over $50 million category at the 2017 Global Light Rail…

Beer in a snifter glass

Socks & Hops & Other Weekend Possibilities

The third annual Socks & Hops is from 7 to 10 p.m. Saturday at City Market (20 E. Fifth St.). The benefit for Swope Health Services pairs local breweries and eateries (Double Shift and Bay Boys Sandwiches, Stockyards and Webster House). Tickets are $45, and guests are encouraged to bring new socks for the Healthcare for the…