Living in the Scoot Utopia

For the past 2 years I have known that the Zoo Bar at 1220 McGee is the best dive bar in town, but for me personally it's now better than ever :) ...

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For the past 2 years I have known that the Zoo Bar at 1220 McGee is the best dive bar in town, but in the past few months it has graduated to being my favorite hangout all around. Once content to visit every month or two, I now find myself there 3 or 4 nights a week. The very walls of the bar ooze the character of its long history. The regulars are friendly and welcoming, and the Zooettes are awesome.

While they can make just about any drink you want, the Zoo Bar carries a very limited but decent selection of beer -- all in bottles and cans. My personal favorite beer is Bully! Porter and the Zoo would only very sporadically have any available. I gave one of the bartenders (Zooettes) crap about it so eventually she ordered some more for me. I'd drink it all, have to switch to something else, they'd order more, etc.

When I was in there last Friday, however, one of the Zooettes mentioned that there was a surprise for me in the back. I took a look and beheld this beautiful sight:

The Zoo Bar must love me, and I love the Zoo Bar!

Friday night was a blast there, by the way. Here's a couple more pictures... one of the crowd and one of a couple of my co-workers who were the with me.

Though it's only 1/2 block north of the Sprint Center it's a little hard to find, but well worth the hunt and new signs are going up next week that should make it more visible. Parking can be tricky on weekdays between in the early evening due to a night school in the same building, but I can usually park out front for free, even on event nights, after about 7pm.

If you drop in, feel free to ask for Bully! Porter. Just don't drink it all. :)

Posted by ScooterJ at 11:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's that time of year again, time for me to announce the schedule of my Spring group walks. These walks are FREE, all you need to do is register. So if you want to get out to get some exercise, meeet new people, and see our area up close, sign up! Walks are coming up on April 26 and on May 18. Read on for details...

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It's that time of year again, time for me to announce the schedule of my Spring group walks. These walks are FREE, all you need to do is register. So if you want to get out to get some exercise, meeet new people, and see our area up close, sign up!

Saturday, April 26: Monkey Mountain Nature Hike

A 5 to 6 mile walk at Monkey Mountain Nature Preserve. Operated by Jackson County Parks & Recreation, Monkey Mountain is located between Grain Valley and Oak Grove on the east side of the metro area. This moderately challenging hike features an impressive variety of scenery and wildlife. Parts of the hike are in open meadows or on well defined trails, while others parts cut through rocky outcrops or go off-trail. There are some steep elevation changes, but the scenery and wildlife make it well worth it!
Details and Registration: http://www.kctourwalk.com/walk4.html


Sunday, May 18: Mid-Metro Walking Half-Marathon

At just over 13 miles, this pleasant but challenging walk will traverse several beautiful and interesting neighborhoods in two states and three counties. Those scared by the mileage should note that this walk is a little bit shorter than KC TourWalk 1. :) We will begin at Macken Park in North Kansas City, MO and walk to Porter Park in Prairie Village, KS. A picnic lunch will be provided and return transportation can be arranged for those who need it. The walk will begin at 9:00am at Macken Park in North Kansas City, MO, then proceed south to Porter Park in Prairie Village, KS. Our progress will be broadcast live on the web, info about this will be posted about a week before the date of the walk.
Details and Registration: http://www.kctourwalk.com/walk5.html

For complete details on both walks and also for future information on the Summer schedule, please go to my group walking web site at www.kctourwalk.com.

Hope to see you there!

Posted by ScooterJ at 10:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I built Ken build a huge DVD display case this weekend...

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My friend Ken has an assload of DVDs. Literally hundreds. And for years they have been mostly unusable, stored in boxes and giant plastic tubs because there was just no place else to put them.

For as many years he has dreamed of having an entire wall converted into a built-in display case to house all these DVDs. But, each time he'd get close to this dream, something (usually moving) would scuttle the project.

So this past weekend he decided to go for it. Since I've done some minor construction before he called upon my "expertise", and I headed over on Saturday morning to get started.

After staring at the wall for a bit and brainstorming he sketched up a simple line drawing of what he wanted. Based upon the design he presented, I took measurements of the actual space and then began my calculations. After a little while I had a revised drawing indicating how many shelves could actually fit into the space.

With the drawing in hand, I then calculated out how many cuts of wood I'd need and at what dimensions, how many L-brackets, how many screws, etc.

The final shopping list:

• 34 pieces of lumber, cut into 11 different lengths
  
• 124 L-braces
  
• 31 long wood screws
  
• 249 short wood screws
  
• 12 long nails
  
• 11 finishing nails
  
• paint
  

We headed off to Home Depot with the shopping list, a trip that would take nearly 3 hours. After finding the appropriate lumber we discovered it was a quarter inch thicker than I had estimated, so I had to redo all my calculations. Next was the Tetris-like task of figuring out the smallest combination of various sizes of boards to buy that could be cut into all the lengths we needed. Then it came time to find some poor schlub to do the cutting.

The first chump we found told us it would take a day to do and we'd have to leave the wood behind and come pick it up the next day. We believed him. But after getting passed from desk to desk trying to find someone to write up a cutting order, Customer Service found us a some young kid to talk to back in lumber. He looked at our order, said "no problem," and had it all cut for us in about 20 minutes.

We got back to Ken's house and I prepared to anchor the first support board to the wall. Ken handed me his drill.

"Ok, where's the drill bits?" I asked.

He handed me a phillip's screwdriver bit.

"No, the other kind," I said.

He then flipped it over to reveal a flat-blade screwdriver.

"No, I need actual drill bits," I said.

"Oh, I don't have any of those," he replied.

So, back to Home Depot we went. :)

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Once we returned, I decided that before getting into the construction I'd first fix the faulty wiring in his kitchen light switch that had been driving me crazy. Then, with that repair made, I got to work and found the going to be quite a bit easier than I expected.

I began by mounting boards to his walls to anchor the shelves to. I then anchored the main central support across the top of his fireplace, erected the four primary vertical supports, and then added the first row of shelves to stabilize it:

Once that was in place, I was able to continue adding shelves. But I quickly discovered that the kid at Home Depot wasn't quite as precise with his cuts as I'd hoped, as the board lengths deviated by as much as 3/4" from the intended lengths. Fortunately I had brought my power saw so we were able to make minor corrections as needed.

By 10:30pm I was exhausted, so I organized the remaining lumber by intended purpose, gave Ken detailed instructions about how to proceed, and let him have at it so I could go home.

Around 3am he emailed me that it was finished, and on Sunday, he painted.

Last night I went over to play video games and I was astonished when I saw the finished piece. It looked better than I had anticipated, and except for a minor glitch of miscounting and being 2 boards short (which Ken fixed Sunday with a third trip to Home Depot), I was impressed by how well my ScooterMath™ had prevailed once again. :)

Here's the finished result, with most of the lighting installed and about half of his DVD collection in place:

UPDATE: Here's it is with all the lighting installed and all the DVDs put in place...

Not too bad if I do say so myself!

Posted by ScooterJ at 08:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

This past weekend I volunteered with the Kansas City Host Committee and answered questions for dozens of out-of-state visitors at the Crown Center hotels. Find out what the out-of-towners had to say about our city...

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This past weekend I volunteered with the Kansas City Host Committee and answered questions for dozens of out-of-state visitors at the Crown Center hotels.

I love Kansas City but I was blown away by how good of a time the people who stopped by the booth were having. They all really seemed to love our city. I even had some Oklahoma people tell me they like it better when the games are in KC than in Oklahoma City.

The bar I was asked about most frequently was Paddy O'Quigley's (??), and the restaurant I was asked most about was Jack Stack. I also gave directions multiple times to Lidia's and City Tavern, Pierpont's, both d'Bronx locations, Mama's, The Cashew, Grinders, The Majestic, Mango Room, Manny's, Margarita's, Taqueria Mexico, Plaza III, Arthur Bryant's, and Oklahoma Joe's.

Several people asked me where the closest movie theaters were and one family laughed when I showed them how to get to th Cinemark on the Plaza as they had just returned from the Plaza. (They were all to happy to go back though!) I'll be nice next time being able to direct them to the AMC downtown.

I also had a few people who were interested in specific shops that were only at The Legends. But as soon as they showed them how to get there the reaction was the same for all: "Oh, that's way too far. Never mind, How do I get to The Plaza instead?"

The hardest question I received was where someone could go to rent video games. I gave the person the address of the Westport Blockbuster but told them to also check the hotel concierge in case the hotel had any available.

People kept telling me repeatedly how good of a time they were having and how much they loved Kansas City. I only fielded two complaints:

1. Several people complained about the fact that for some reason you can't get channel 38 in KC's hotels ... the channel the games were on.

2. That our public transportation sucks. People who took cabs had no complaints, but those who relied on the KCATA had difficulties. There were complaints of slow to nonexistent service (shuttles that were supposed to run every 15 minutes were nowhere to be found), buses switching their sign to 'out of service' and driving off while people stood stranded, difficulty finding the southbound MAX stops, the poor placement of the MAX stops, etc. The cry was loud and clear for a fixed, reliable, easy-to-identify form of public transportation. There was a definite cry for light rail.
   

I had a lot of fun answering people's questions and hope it helped make a lot of visits better. I can't wait until 2010 when I can do it again!

By the way I received 0 complaints about parking even though some of the visitors chose to drive their own cars to the games. Returning guests told me their parking was free or cheap and that they found spaces right away. I myself spotted 3 free spaces less than 1 block from Sprint Center shortly after the K State game started Friday night, and my friends who came to meet me later all managed to park within a block of the arena as well. Sorry, TKC, you were wrong again! (I notice he's been awfully silent on that subject after pressing it so hard last week. ;) )

Posted by ScooterJ at 10:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

For the past few months I have watched from my office window as the American Flag atop the Jackson County Courthouse has rapidly deteriorated with no action being taken to fix the situation...

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For the past few months I have watched from my office window as the American Flag atop the Jackson County Courthouse has rapidly deteriorated with no action being taken to fix the situation.

To the left is how this flag looks today... a tattered tightly-wrapped strip of cloth barely hanging on by a single eyelet. It has been this way for at least the past several days.

What kinds of message does that send when a government building cannot propery display the Flag and treat it with respect? What kind of image does that send to the tens of thousands of visitors who will be able to see that flag as they descend upon downtown Kansas City this week?

UPDATE (March 12): The flag has just been fixed!

Posted by ScooterJ at 04:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

When the city of Independence banned smoking in its bars, many wondered "What will they ban next?"...

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When the city of Independence banned smoking in its bars, many wondered "What will they ban next?"

I found the answer this weekend taped to the door of a popular Independence pub/eatery...

First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out -
because I was not a Socialist.

Then they came for the Trans Fats, and I did not speak out -
because I was not a McDonalds customer.

Then they came for the Smokers, and I did not speak out -
because I was not a Smoker.

Then they came for my balloons - and there was no one left to speak for me.

Posted by ScooterJ at 07:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

This past Monday (March 3) my friend B and I took the day off to do some barhopping. Our route covered Independence, Sugar Creek, Raytown, and parts of KC's East Side. After a particularly busy week I finally have the time to tell you all about it. So enjoy the adventure while our livers do the hard work for you!... *     *     *     *     *     * This past Monday (March 3) my friend B and I took the day off to do some barhopping. Our route covered Independence, Sugar Creek, Raytown, and parts of KC's East Side. After a particularly busy week I finally have the time to tell you all about it. So enjoy the adventure while our livers do the hard work for you!

#1: Neighbors Cocktail Lounge
9025 E 35th St
Kansas City, MO 64129
(816) 924-0244
[Map]


Having been kicked out of this place at the end of our last run through Independence, we decided to make this our first stop of the day. We arrived a round 10:30 in the morning and found they had already been open for a while. We ended up having to sit at a table as there weren't two seats open at the bar.

After finishing up we headed around to the northeast corner of Independence to pick up where we left off on an even earlier trip.

(My apologies for the quality of the next few photos, I accidentally set my camera to video mode so later had to capture these as video stills.)


#2: Rack Daddy's
305 N State Route 291
Independence, MO 64056
(816) 257-1529
[Map]



We took a couple of seats at the bar populated by older, blue-collar men. B needed to break a large bill but was worried it might be too early. "Oh, it's no problem," the bartender laughed. "We opened at 6am and those guys have been slamming back beers all morning. I have plenty of change."

We noticed that one customer had a metal claw for a hand. There was also a claw machine against one wall. Unfortunately the photo opp never happened. :)


#3: Cosmo's
15700 E US Highway 24
Independence, MO 64050
(816) 836-1000
[Map]


This was the first of many bars we were to today where the bartender lamented that lost business due to Independence's smoking ban. However, at first, this place actually saw increased business last summer due to being one of the only places in the city with a patio. But with the weather cold, the business has dropped off. So many bartenders today wanted to know where all the nonsmokers were who supposedly would start going out once they got their ban.


#4: Down the Road Lounge
1200 E US Highway 24
Independence, MO 64050
(816) 254-0550
[Map]


This is kind of cool... a former Mugs Up Root Beer restaurant that has been converted to a bar, and a pretty nice one on the inside at that! Over 30 years ago I likely had a root beer here, now I've had a real beer here.


#5: Wild Stallion Saloon
1016 N Doris Ave
Independence, MO 64050
(816) 836-0123
[Map]


A rock-and-roll style bar within walking distance of our previous stop. We chatted with the owners (who are also struggling since the smoking ban) and gave them some computer tips.


#6: Big John's Corner Bar
213 W Maple Ave
Independence, MO 64050
(816) 461-9790
[Map]


A very tiny, long-standing institution in the heart of downtown Independence. Since this was my first visit we were entitled to their free Virgin Shots... other than the alcohol-infused cherry to pop the ingredients remain a mystery.

The restrooms here were essentially closets, and this is the 4th bar I've been to where the sink is outside the restrooms. So everyone knows if you washed your hands!


#7: Tommy's Tavern
217 S Main St
Independence, MO 64050
(816) 461-3000
[Map]


On the edge of the Independence Square. I missed the parking lot so we circled around the block and parked in the alley. We sat at the far end of the L-shaped bar and played some Mystery Phrase while trying to determine the purpose of a strange electrical device in one of the windows.

Scrawled just above the handle on the inside of the men's room door was this message to anyone who dared not wash up:



#8: Players Club Bar & Grill
1501 S Noland Rd
Independence, MO 64055
(816) 836-9400
[Map]


Finally, I noticed that my camera was in the wrong mode! :) This former Mr. Steak restaurant was bought, gutted, and transformed into a bar last year by the current owner/bartender.

My beer was flat, but the bartender made it right by making me a mixed drink at no extra charge.


#9: Norm & Betty's
11713 E 23rd St
Independence, MO 64050
(816) 254-9823
[Map]


We met with Norm and/or Betty and learned how much the smoking ban has hurt their business as well. They've owned this place for decades and only now for the first time have ever worried about getting by.


#10: Tonahill's Three of A Kind
11703 E 23rd St
Independence, MO 64050
(816) 833-5021
[Map]


Formerly Cecil's, the interior has been renovated to make this place the third Tonahill's location (though the first we'd vist today). On the way out we noticed this message on one of the tables:


#11: Stix & Stones
11404 E. 24 Hwy
Sugar Creek, MO 64054
[Map]


We had heard about this as a new place earlier in the day back at Down The Road but coming across it was actually kind of a fluke... we'd never have even driven past had heavy traffic not forced us to backtrack a little earlier.

We didn't quite get the name since the inside was decorated mainly with a classic car theme. The beer taps were kinda cool I thought:
We were starting to get hungry but didn't see anything on the appetizer menu that was quite what we were wanting, so after some bar trivia we pressed on...


#12: Verona Room
11216 E US Highway 24
Sugar Creek, MO 64054
(816) 252-2111
[Map]


It'd be very easy to miss this little bar attached to (but isolated from) the corner of a small bowling alley. After we finished our drinks the bartender directed us to a nearby Taco Bell where we could finally eat our first meal of the day.


#13: Tonahill Sugar Inn
719 N Sterling Ave
Sugar Creek, MO 64054
(816) 461-3232
[Map]


After our tacos we headed north into the heart of Sugar Creek for a brew at our second Tonahill location for the day.


#14: Kross Lounge & Restaurant
605 N Sterling Ave
Sugar Creek, MO 64054
(816) 254-9494
[Map]


It was kind of a shame we had just had Taco Bell, because the food available at the bar here looked pretty good and wasn't expensive at all.


#15: Calico Cat
10325 E Independence Ave
Independence, MO 64053
(816) 461-9643
[Map]


A customer at Down The Road had told us this morning about his lifelong ban from The Calico Cat, and I've heard from a number of sources about this being the filthiest, scummiest bar I'd ever see.

Well, when you've seen close to 500 bars, the odds are you've seen scummier. And I must have, because this place didn't really seem all that bad to me.


#16: Bills Pappys Den
10805 E Truman Rd
Independence, MO 64052
(816) 461-9345
[Map]


We did some quick backtracking after the Calico Cat when we realized we were on the verge of missing a couple of spots on Truman Road. We weren't 100% sure at first what place this was but we found identifying info inside. I believe we played some Silver Strike while we were here.


#17: Tonahill's South
10817 E Truman Rd
Independence, MO 64052
(816) 252-2560
[Map]


Formerly Charlie's, then Tonahill's South, then a closed bar, it's now Tonahill's South once again, albeit leased out. Our bartender was a recent transplant from the west coast. This completed our tour of the Tonahill bars.


#18: Cozy Inn
10042 E Wilson Rd
Independence, MO 64053
(816) 461-9562
[Map]


Re-backtracking back to where we were about to go when we realized we needed to backtrack, we came across this little dive near some railroad tracks. We played the Bags game and made friends with this little guy sitting next to us:


#19: Lafferty's
6301 Blue Pkwy
Kansas City, MO 64129
(816) 924-6888
[Map]


I've been driving by this place for over 20 years and never been inside until tonight. A guy playing pool helped us out with directions to a few other locations. In return, we bought him a drink. Except, after we left, we realized we forgot to pay for his drink! Oops!


#20: Flamingo Lounge
8642 E 63rd St
Kansas City, MO 64133
(816) 353-9667
[Map]


"We're going to be the only white people in here," said B. "Naw, this is going to be pretty much all white," I replied. I wish we had bet, as I was right.

The place was divided into two rooms separated by the bar in the middle. On one side a dart league was underway, on the other a billiards league.


#21: Eclipse Bar & Grill
6512 Raytown Rd
Raytown, MO 64133
(816) 356-0550
[Map]


Since we were pointing this way we decided to head on into Raytown to pick up a coupe of places we'd missed on an earlier Raytown run a couple of years ago. We started off at The Eclipse, where we played some more Silver Strike.


#22: Daily Double Lounge
11509 E 63rd St
Raytown, MO 64133
(816) 737-1730
[Map]


Then, after getting turned around on unfamiliar roads, we stumbled across another spot on our list while trying to find out way back tot he main road. I had my only Guinness of the day here.

We then went looking for the Old Tiger Inn but couldn't find it, being someone unfamiliar with this area. Winding up back at the sports complex, we headed back towards KC again and back down 71 to find a place we had been told about while at Lafferty's...


#23: Mr Bob's Place
5709 Troost Ave
Kansas City, MO 64110
(816) 523-9111
[Map]


Ok, now we were the only white people. :) Security hit us the second we stepped in but gave us the ok. I struck up a brief conversation with another guy at the bar while B used the restroom but for the most part no one talked to us. We watched a game of pool and some dancing, then headed on up the road.

Because of an incident that happened at a bar called Johnny A's back on 8/12/06 [scroll down to the paragraph below the 6:21pm photo] I chose not to take a photo and instead let Google Maps Street View do it for me. :)


#24: Mike's Tavern
5424 Troost Ave
Kansas City, MO 64110
(816) 444-3399
[Map]


Our last stop of the evening corrected a 15-year-old injustice. This is essentially the college bar for UMKC and Rockhurst. But on my one and only visit in college, I drank only a Sprite!

This place was packed for a Monday night. We played Silver Strike again, this time a few games of trick bowling.


Epilogue

When we finished here we knew it was time to end it. And we were right to do so. I ended up sick, something that doesn't happen to me often. I attribute it to the combination of beer (which never makes me sick), shots and mixed drinks (which sometimes do), and the heavy use of smokeless tobacco that I was popping throughout the day. So what was a blast of a day ended on a downer. Hopefully that won't spoil the mood for future adventures.

In any case, we've now pretty much cleaned up on Independence. Woo-hoo!

Posted by ScooterJ at 05:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

ScooterFashion™ Tip #7

If you dress like you are not welcome at the Brooksider, nor should be welcome anywhere else in public for that matter, then...

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ScooterFashion™ Tip #7

If you dress like you are not welcome at the Brooksider, nor should be welcome anywhere else in public for that matter, then...

please...

for the love of god and all that is holy...

I'm begging you...

Seriously...

Never,

Ever...

Never never never never...


NEVER...

..change a flat tire.

PLEASE!

Snapped at the Valero at 6th & Central, Sunday, March 2, 2008.

Posted by ScooterJ at 05:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)