Best of Kansas City Editor’s Picks

Best Cobbler

Overland Park Shoe Repair (7522 W. 80th St., Overland Park)

In the era of throwaway culture, old-school craftsmanship can feel increasingly rare. That’s what makes Overland Park Shoe Repair a gem. Whether you need a few quick stitches or a full resole, owner Henry Barbosa is a straight-to-the-point cobbler who’s honest about what can (and can’t) be restored. He brought my prized vintage Doc Martens back to its glory within a week—and at a reasonable rate. Beyond footwear, this shop also restores most leather goods like handbags, jackets, belts and more. –NC

Best Room

Missouri Valley Special Collections at the Central Library (14 W. 10th St., KCMO)

Cool in the summer and cozy in the winter, the Missouri Valley Room at the KCPL Central Library downtown is a gem of the system. Adorned with creaky wooden chairs and green-shaded banker’s lamps, the Missouri Valley Room invites you to sit for a while and skim a few pages or spend the weekend tracing genealogies through high school yearbooks and city directories. The delightful staff are always willing to help you with a rabbit hole you are falling down, but be ready to leave your bags and beverages in a locker. This is an archive, after all, no matter how much it feels like a set from an Indiana Jones movie. –RR

Best Place To Get Lost in History

Missouri River Viewing Deck (Riverfront Heritage Trail, KCMO)

If you have not yet been to the Missouri River Viewing Deck at the far north end of Main Street south of the river, may this be your excuse to do so. Just a few blocks from the River Market North streetcar stop, it’s not so much the signage and documentation at the river trail head, as it is just the feeling of place. Watching the barges, planes, trains, cars and walkers intersect at this curve of the river really drives home the resilience of our little spot of earth here. –RR

Best Place To Have a Drink if You Don’t Want a Late Night

The Iron District (1599 Iron St., North Kansas City)

Nestled in North Kansas City just blocks from the Rabbit Hole, this collection of shipping container food trucks and picnic tables offers something for everyone in a comfy, outdoor food court setting. Delicious foods are available from The Sourdough Spot, Cargo Cantina, Zaki Mediterranean Cuisine and Tattooed Hog BBQ, among others. But the best part? Everything here closes at 9 pm, and last call is at 8:30. It’s not that roaring through Kansas City’s nightlife with your friends until the wee hours isn’t fun; it’s just that sometimes you want to be in bed by 10 on a Saturday night. –RR

Best Traditional Hand-Painted Signs

Mike Trujillo (@miketrujillo_signs_murals)

There’s something so stylish about the swooping serifs and gold leaf of old-fashioned hand-painted signs, in the opinion of this editor. And lucky for any Kansas Citian who might desire one of these vintage treasures, you don’t have to continuously scour antique shops hoping to find one. Artist Mike Trujillo not only still practices this traditional painting method but has perfected it. While you might not have an oversized shop window to display his work, like No Vacancy and Le Lounge do, Trujillo takes commissions. Pick your message, find a thrifted vintage mirror for him to work on and then hang it in your home to the envy of all your guests. -MM

Best Photobooth

Up-Down KC (101 Southwest Blvd., KCMO)

Not sure what your Pinterest feed looks like, but mine has been flooded with photobooth strips transformed into framed art pieces. In my opinion, arcade bar Up-Down KC has one of the most elegant photobooths in the city, with a clean design that lets the photos shine instead of losing space to oversized branding. If I were recreating my original inspo, I’d place it in a monochrome frame with an oversized mat from a local shop like State of the Art. –MM

Best Place To Split a Cheap Lunch

Baba’s Pantry (1019 E. 63rd St. KCMO)

It goes without saying that Baba’s Pantry is a Kansas City dining treasure, but it also turns out to be a pretty dang good deal. The chicken shawarma combo (which comes with an iced tea or lemonade and nearly too many fries to eat) is a whopping $15.98. This includes your choice of sandwich toppings at no additional cost (Torshi and pickled turnips, please). Easily enough food for two people and still under $10 each, it may be the best meal deal in KC. Of course, it will be hard to stop there when you are surrounded by all the beautiful treats from their bakery and the fridge filled with hummus and babaganoush, but it’s the principle of the thing. –RR

Best Place To Get in a Wreck (There’s a Few) 

Ask folks in Kansas City about the worst intersection in town and you’ll get plenty of answers. We know, because we asked you. Some said the intersection of Roanoke and Ward Parkway is worst. A few said the on-ramp to US-71 from The Paseo. Meyer Circle got mentions, and many brought up the notorious tangle where Van Brunt, East 31st Street, Cleaver Boulevard, Hardesty, North Stadium Drive, 40 Highway and Linwood all (try to) come together. 

On the Kansas side, the 67th Street and Frontage Road intersection under I-35 got a few nods, as did the I-435 exit to Metcalf. Readers might be surprised to find that the city’s most statistically dangerous intersection is where I-435 and I-70 meet near Arrowhead. 

But for popularity, or rather unpopularity, there’s a clear-cut winner—or, rather, loser. Nothing beats the famous mess in Westport where Belleview, Madison, 43rd Street, Westport Road and Southwest Trafficway all surround a useless three-sided polygon of grass. Call it the Terrible Triangle or Triangle of Terror. It’s chaotic enough in daylight, but add in nighttime Westport revelers, so often imbibing and driving, and it’s the intersection that all of Kansas City loves to hate. –HS

Best Hack to Get Free Royals Tickets

(Gate E at The K)

In a day where StubHub’s fees are borderline criminal, the Royals’ Bring Out the Books program lets you trade in a children’s book for a free ticket. On any game day at The K, head to Gate E on the right field side, donate one book, and score one ticket. Only the first 100 donations are eligible each game The book donations benefit the Royals Literacy League, the team’s initiative to get kids reading. When you take the voucher to the ticket counter, you can then exchange it for your ticket as-is or pay to upgrade. –NK

Best Use of Your Tax Dollars

The Johnson County Library MakerSpace (9875 W. 87th St., Overland Park)

The MakerSpace area of the Johnson Country Library is stocked with 3D printers, sewing machines, letterpresses, laser cutters and more, all free to use with a library card, thanks to taxpayers. Whether you’re a hobbyist or just want to try a 3D printer without committing to a $500 machine, this is for you. And don’t let the techy equipment intimidate you; staff are on hand to help you out. jocolibrary.org/makerspace.  –NK

Best Light-Up Porta-Potty

(Blackwell/Blue Parkway and 50 Highway)

In 2017, a porta-potty was abandoned at a construction site at the corner of Blackwell/Blue Parkway and 50 Highway in Lee’s Summit, and it never left. Every holiday season, Troy Jackson and his family deck out the facility with lights and decorations, and it has become affectionately known as the Magic Potty. Thousands of visitors drop by every winter, leaving donations benefiting Coldwater of Lee’s Summit, a local nonprofit serving families in need. To date, the Magic Potty has collected over 10,000 pounds of food. Not bad for a porta-potty that wasn’t supposed to be there in the first place. magicpotty.org. –NK

Best Spot for a Tea Party

Greenwood Country Tea Room (502 W. Main St., Greenwood)

With 40 teas on the menu, the Greenwood Country Tea Room doesn’t play around. From black, green, oolong, rooibos, herbal and chai varieties ranging from a classic Earl Grey to the more adventurous Swiss chocolate or Quanzhou Milk Oolong, you’ll want to try every blend there. Each pot is brewed to order and priced for sharing, making it the perfect excuse to slow down and sip with your pinky up. It’s also attached to a giant antique mall, so you can shop for vintage china before drinking out of it. Whether you’re hosting a birthday, a bridal shower or just need a good reason to eat finger sandwiches on a Tuesday, the tearoom is available for private events too. greenwoodtearoom.com. –NK

Line Most Worth Waiting in at the Farmers Market

Michelle’s Sourdough and Pretzel Company (209 S.E. Green St., Lee’s Summit)

There are a lot of good reasons to show up early to Lee’s Summit’s Green Street Farmers Market, whether it’s for the biggest bouquets or the best meat cuts. Michelle’s Sourdough and Pretzel Company is also near the top of the list. The pretzels here are the stuff of legend: perfectly soft, golden and salty and available in flavors like rosemary and garlic and jalapeno cheddar that’ll ruin all other soft pretzels for you entirely. Michelle’s sets up shop every Saturday (and Wednesday, if you need a midweek fix) from 8 am to noon, April through October. Can’t make it to the market? They take online orders too. michellessourdoughandpretzelcompany.net. –NK

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