Jeff & Crystal

About Jeff & Crystal

We are Jeff and Crystal, a Baby Boomer couple who love exploring this big blue marble we all call home. After spending the first portion of our lives together raising a family, the empty-nest syndrome finally caught up with us. This has given us the opportunity to spend more time traveling, and seeking out new destinations. We developed this travel blog with the goal of showing how we “Visit Like A Local”. Our itineraries are designed to get us off the interstates, and into the heart of the places we visit. We believe this will allow our readers to choose a cultural experience, and eventually head home with a real flavor of the places they visit. We hope you are enjoying our website and will consider sharing it with your friends. Please come back often, as we post new articles three times per week.
facebooktwitterlinkedinEmail

Shaking Up The KC BBQ Scene – Q39 Midtown

Some people say we can be slow to adapt to new tastes. The truth is that Kansas City is home to hundreds of restaurants, and there are just two of us. That means we sometimes have to prioritize our visits, which can lead to extended lead times. In a city known for one particular cuisine, we know that it can be best to see how new venues fare over a few years. When Q39 hit the market in 2014, we waited to see if they would be shaking up the KC BBQ scene. Now that they have a few years of customer service [...]

By |2020-05-29T06:07:41-06:00May 29th, 2020|Barbecue, Kansas City, KC Dining|12 Comments
Read More

A Welcome Addition – Deep Roots Restaurant

Life is a series of small victories. Not all will be our own, but fortunately, those of others can often be shared. Being life-long Kansas City, Kansas residents have come with a certain level of ups and downs. After years of economic struggle, our city has seen a revitalization over the past decade. With this resurgence comes new small businesses. Now that shoppers have destinations to visit, the next progression is an opportunity for local restaurants to sprout. One of the newest in the southern edge of Wyandotte County is Deep Roots Restaurant and Bar, at 4601 Shawnee Drive. We find this to [...]

By |2020-05-22T06:38:23-06:00May 22nd, 2020|American, Kansas City, KC Dining|4 Comments
Read More

Taste The Textures – Naree Kitchen Thai & Sushi

It appears that discovering Thai cuisine was something we should have done long ago. This is one of those cases where you just don't realize what you are missing. Once the discovery has been made, you try to make up for lost time. Now that we know how delicious this particular cuisine can be, we seem to be finding a plethora of restaurants around the metro. With the current state of carryout only, we discovered Naree Kitchen Thai & Sushi in our own backyard of Kansas City, Kansas. Our newfound fervor for Thai food had us eager to taste the textures of this [...]

By |2020-05-15T06:31:19-06:00May 15th, 2020|Asian, Kansas City, KC Dining|0 Comments
Read More

Loosening The Lockdown – The New Normal?

The sun shone brightly, casting its warmth on the cool May morning. Early shoppers arrived in downtown Kansas City to bring some normalcy back into their lives. With the Stay At Home orders being slowly rescinded, some of the public are venturing out to places that seem strangely familiar. We visited City Market to see how the new paradigm is being applied to one of our favorite summer activities. Loosening the lockdown at the farmer's market is a good test for how the general public will handle the new protocols for social interaction. Social Distancing While Loosening the Lockdown Heading out of the [...]

By |2020-05-11T17:51:10-06:00May 12th, 2020|Kansas City, KC Fun, Out & About|8 Comments
Read More

Thai Inspired Dishes – Lulu’s Noodles

Have you ever made an assumption about a business based on partial information? This has actually happened to us a few times. It often occurs because we have failed to thoroughly research. Let's look at an example of such an oversight. We first noticed Lulu's Noodles during our day trips to downtown Lawrence, Kansas. During this period, we made an assumption that all they served were various flavors of noodle bowls. Unfortunately, that particular location has since closed, but it meant that it moved closer to us. Years would pass, before we discovered they offer up delicious Thai inspired dishes. It was quite [...]

By |2020-05-08T06:16:09-06:00May 8th, 2020|Asian, Kansas City, KC Dining|0 Comments
Read More

Handhelds And Pizza Pies – D’Bronx Authentic Deli

We have been visiting D'Bronx Authentic Deli for years. Our introduction to this New York-style eatery came in the 1990s, which was not too long after they appeared on the landscape. Their 3904 Bell Street location has always been our go-to spot for handhelds and pizza pies. In fact, one celebration included an attempt to conquer their Party Pizza. Even a group of ravenous teenagers failed to overcome this mountain of dough and toppings. With so many happy memories associated with our visits, we decided that it was past time for us to feature them in an article. Boxes & Bags of Food [...]

By |2020-05-05T06:01:11-06:00May 5th, 2020|American, Kansas City, KC Dining, Pizza|0 Comments
Read More

Bringing The Sea to KC – Jarocho Authentic Mexican Seafood

Living in the landlocked Midwest can limit our access to fresh seafood. Few places have the dedication to do the legwork required to keep this type of pipeline running. Fortunately, we have a delectable option right in our hometown. Jarocho Authentic Mexican Seafood is bringing the sea to KC. We have been advised of the merits of this KCK restaurant for years but had overlooked trying it out. Since we find ourselves taking a look at places closer to home, this one popped up on our radar. Getting the first impression of a new eatery from their takeout really puts them to the [...]

By |2020-05-01T06:09:00-06:00May 1st, 2020|Kansas City, KC Dining, South of the Border|16 Comments
Read More

Spicing Up Carryout – Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken

The current reality has certainly added a few interesting twists to our dinner routine. Transitioning to carryout meals has forced us to think about the driving distance after we get our meal. Fortunately, we have a ton of options in close proximity, so our meals stay closer to serving temperature. Even the ones that are farther out can still be considered if we use good preparation. One that we have not frequented, in the past, is Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken. We dropped by their Kansas City, Kansas location to see how they are spicing up carryout. Call In & Carry Out Our [...]

By |2020-04-28T06:22:31-06:00April 28th, 2020|American, Kansas City, KC Dining|0 Comments
Read More

Hole In The Wall Dining – Grandstand Burgers

We all have our home town favorites that seem to draw us back over and over. For some, it may be the atmosphere or the feeling of nostalgia. One thing that is usually required is the ability to deliver a consistent meal that we can count on time after time. Living in a larger metropolitan area means there are a few of these types of places to choose from. One that we find ourselves near frequently is Grandstand Burgers, at 4942 Merriam Drive. Sitting on a busy corner, this diminutive eatery has been serving up Hole in the Wall Dining for nearly twenty [...]

By |2020-04-23T16:11:56-06:00April 24th, 2020|Burgers, Kansas City, KC Dining|0 Comments
Read More

Italian Take & Bake – 1889 Pizza Napoletana

Life during the pandemic is certainly affecting most people's routines. Like us, many of you have had to adapt our dining out experiences to something closer to home. Home is where we all find ourselves partaking in the majority of our meals. Occasionally we will have a picnic, but these have to be done with a blanket since park shelters have been placed off-limits. The idea of eating at home is not a bad thing, we just find that the atmosphere of restaurants is a part of the overall dining experience. We know that things will return to some semblance of normal, in [...]

By |2020-04-21T06:07:46-06:00April 21st, 2020|Italian, Kansas City, KC Dining|4 Comments
Read More
Load More Posts
© Copyright 2017-2020   Our Changing Lives   All Rights Reserved