Joani & David's Travels: Monday, July 1, 2019, Union Station, Science City, Halmark Museum, Kansas City, MO

We headed to downtown Kansas City, MO, today to visit Union Station. The station is not curved - the panoramic shot below made it look that way but it was the only way to capture the entire building without backing up another quarter mile.

Inside was Science City, a kid-oriented museum on our Association of Science-Technology Centers list (ASTC). We spent a little time exploring and found ourselves enjoying a few things we had not previously seen. The spin chairs were quite a trip. Sit down and hold on as the strange balance took you for a wild ride!

David is such a sport, he will try anything for me and let me capture the look on his face!

The spin or spun chair can be yours for $1,048.50 (after tax and shipping).

The big treadmill below was tied to a generator so you could see how much effort it took to generate precious little electricity. The water makes it seem so easy in a hydroelectric power plant.

It was a hamster wheel for humans.

Joani thought my head was too big and the fun-house mirror, below, fixed that but it also made her the two-headed woman.

Also in Union Station was a model railroad display. Since we had already seen the best model railroad in Foley, AL, we were somewhat underwhelmed. The majority of their collection was O-gauge (not my favorite) so they had limited options in their space. A third of the floor had HO models but again they were somewhat limited because of space. One N-gauge layout was just a simple oval. In line with the museum, I think the trains were really for the kids who clearly loved following them around.

Union Station’s Model Railroad Experience is in the process of getting a needed facelift, but it was still open to the public (and still free).

The tornado at the end of the HO boards was a nice touch since we were in Kansas City. There were vehicles and livestock caught up in the whirlwind.

We first learned about Fred Harvey and the Harvey Girls when we were in Petrified Forest National Park, AZ, and then in Winslow, AZ, at La Posada Hotel. It was interesting to make the connection with the franchise along the routes from so many years ago when the majority of long-distance travel was by rail.

The Fred Harvey Company operations closed in 1968. This restaurant was a nod to his legacy.

Joani wanted to see the Hallmark Welcome Center which was close to Union Station. We walked across the street and around a few corners, through a hotel and a shopping mall until we were completely disoriented. Asking for directions the second time landed us close enough that we finally found it.

I saw this old lady in the place and thought she looked familiar. She was giving me quite a lecture when Joani yelled "cheese" and snapped our picture.

Push a button and this little robot would make a decorative bow right before your eyes. It was pretty fast so we had to watch it twice.

We were not expecting to see Norman Rockwell works in the museum but he helped raise money for the rebuilding effort after the Missouri River flooded a good portion of Kansas City in 1951.