Growing up with extended family who lived in Kansas City, I’ve been there more times than I can count.  And it’s for that reason that I’ve taken the gem of a city for granted; I’ve only ever been to their houses and haven’t seen the city. But we recently had a girls’ weekend in Kansas City. And I jumped on the opportunity to travel (albeit still Missouri) and to see a city I didn’t really know despite many a visit.

We didn’t get on the road till 10 a.m., which would give my father intense anxiety — we’re burning daylight!  I too like to make the most of the day, but not getting up at the crack of dawn is a beautiful thing.  We spent our several hour ride in the car catching up and jamming to Judah & the Lion (one of my favorites).

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Sasha’s Baking Co.

Girls’ weekend means a brunch is in order—am I right, ladies?!  Walking into Sasha’s Baking Co., I was immediately greeted by an exposed brick wall lined with green shutters, another wall coated in a baby blue color and white paneling.  Read: charming and classy.  This French-inspired bakery offered a wide variety of pastries and dishes like avocado toast.  I ordered a breakfast burrito with ham, without the tortilla, which satisfied—but not without a kick!  Its sweet cookies and cream macaron crumbled gently and crunched with a chill.  I also appreciated that the woman behind the counter pronounced it correctly: macaron, not macaroon.  French language brownie points for Sasha’s! (Since publication, Sasha’s has been bought and is called Banksia.)

Liberty Memorial

Our caravan then braved the cold and eventually spits of rain to see the iconic Liberty Memorial.  And we weren’t the only ones.  A wedding party strolled around for photos, and people celebrating Veteran’s Day visited the World War I Museum close by.

The Plaza

Next stop: the Plaza.  We ducked in and out of stores like Madewell, Free People and Anthropologie to beat the rain.  Even though the weather wasn’t ideal, it was still quite enjoyable to see this hotspot shopping district.

The Nelson-Atkins

Although I didn’t get to visit the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art on this particular trip, I was able to enjoy this *free* gem on a different trip. Sure, I’m partial to my dear St. Louis Art Museum, but I was entirely impressed at the size and quality of this Kansas City museum. I really enjoyed their free hands-on booth in the Egyptian exhibit where we were able to sniff frankincense and myrrh as well as see how ancient Egyptian women applied eyeliner. And they had works by Monet, Manet, Morisot and — one of my new favorites — Caravaggio.

As much as I love travel and new destinations, many times it’s about the people surrounding you.  After shopping at the Plaza, we headed back to Julia’s house for homemade soup, a chick flick and game of Catch Phrase.  I pride myself in visiting a city and saying I saw x, y and z, but this weekend was so good for the soul.  Quality time with the gal pals and life at a leisurely pace are some of the best ways to indulge in some sweet TLC.  Until the next girls’ weekend in Kansas City!