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kansas city from Chicago

Replies: 20 - Last Post: Dec 19, 2012 9:55 AM Last Post By: jmmtraveller

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Misanthrope

Misanthrope avatar

Dec 9, 2012 7:54 AM
Posts:  74

kansas city from Chicago

Hello,
Looking at driving from Chicago to Kansas City at the end of June. Will have to rent a car in Chicago, unless I want to resort to buses. Can anybody advise what the route is like and roughly how long I should budget? Trying to limit hours in the car. Also, is KC pretty reasonable as far as navigating the streets enough to get off the highway and to a hotel?
Thanks.

laketraveller

laketraveller avatar

Dec 9, 2012 6:19 PM
Posts:  5,467

1

It's about an eight hour drive. It's freeway the whole way so pretty easy.

Kansas City is fairly easy to get around and finding hotels off the freeway will be easy.

Good luck.

willysnoutredux

willysnoutredux avatar

Dec 9, 2012 10:28 PM
Posts:  606

2

8-1/2 hours not including stops for fuel, food, and rest. In other words: A long day. Boring, too. Use MapQuest to get a routing.

99dragons

99dragons avatar

Dec 10, 2012 6:53 AM
Posts:  257

3

Use a GPS divice and follow the cues, can't get lost.

Misanthrope

Misanthrope avatar

Dec 10, 2012 7:20 AM
Posts:  74

4

Hi,
Thanks for that. I was more wondering how crazy traffic, etc, is within KC itself. I'm assuming it won't be as bad as Chicago or New York.
The Megabus looks fairly easy and cheap from Chicago. But I'm wondering if I'll find it more of a hassle getting around in KC. I wanna go to a few specific barbecue places and they seem pretty spread out, so I'm not sure about the prevalence of taxis, etc.

laketraveller

laketraveller avatar

Dec 10, 2012 7:23 AM
Posts:  5,467

5

KC is a big city. Taxis are easily arranged or found and traffic is typical of a normal big city; bad during rush hour and not too bad the rest of the time.

On the scale of big cities KC is on the lower end of hassle factor.

willysnoutredux

willysnoutredux avatar

Dec 10, 2012 12:25 PM
Posts:  606

6

#4, I used to live in Kansas City. I hope you're not going there because of the barbecue. It's laughably overrated.

Misanthrope

Misanthrope avatar

Dec 10, 2012 1:06 PM
Posts:  74

7

Well, barbecue is a big part of it. I've also never been to the Midwest before and I'm gonna be in Chicago, so I thought I'd check out a few different places. Louisville is an option in the other direction, as is Memphis. But what would you suggest? Just looking to chill, enjoy some good food, check out some cool bars and drink some beers and relax.

laketraveller

laketraveller avatar

Dec 10, 2012 1:36 PM
Posts:  5,467

8

I also used to live in Kansas City and believe it, like a lot of cities in the midwest, is a great place to live but not to exciting to visit. KC sits in two states; the MO side is much more interesting than the KS side.

I'm not a Memphis fan, but in fairness there is more to do there than many other such cities. I would not put Memphis in the midwest basket though. It's much more a southern city than a midwestern one.

Have you considered a different direction? Minneapolis is a great city. June is a great time to visit. Minneapolis is full of parks, there are 26 named lakes within the city limit plus the Mississippi River. Mpls is known for museums, theater, jazz and restaurants as well. Chicago and Mpls are connected by Megabus and the train.

Good luck.

tilos

tilos avatar

Dec 11, 2012 3:42 PM
Posts:  419

9

I would second Minnesota, though I would drive further north and visit some of the state parks. Or you could visit Door County in Wisconsin to relax by the lake.

If you are set on bbq, check if there are any good deals on flights from Chicago to Austin, then rent a car and chow away. Don't forget to check Southwest, which is not included on any low airfare websites.

Where2Next

Where2Next avatar

Dec 13, 2012 3:32 PM
Posts:  28

10

Chicago-KC is generally a cheap enough flight (~$100 each way) and far enough distance (9+ hrs driving, with not much to see) that flying can be good value.

tilos

tilos avatar

Dec 14, 2012 6:39 AM
Posts:  419

11

Have you considered Toronto instead? It's about the same driving time, though you will pick up delays at the border crossing.

Misanthrope

Misanthrope avatar

Dec 14, 2012 7:27 AM
Posts:  74

12

Spent way too much time in Toronto. And KC enables me to hit Memphis, too. That can't be too bad.

laketraveller

laketraveller avatar

Dec 14, 2012 7:35 AM
Posts:  5,467

13

It is if you don't like Memphis. :-)

Have a great trip.

Misanthrope

Misanthrope avatar

Dec 14, 2012 7:46 AM
Posts:  74

14

Memphis sounds good, no? And Megabus goes there. Megabus sounds pretty decent and easy. Do they stop en route for food breaks, etc?
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