Comparing Richmond: RVA vs Louisville, St. Louis, and Kansas City!

On July 8, I set out on a 26-day journey to 16 cities across the southeastern United States to support Habitat for Humanity affiliates and learn a few things from each city.

This first week was an adventure to Kansas City with three cities on the way. And I have already seen so much. Let's dive right into it, shall we?

Traveller (my car which is so cleverly named after Robert E. Lee's loyal horse) and I left Richmond a week ago and our first stop was Charleston, W.Va.

On the way there, we of course had to make a pit stop in Lexington, Va., to see the resting of place of the actual Traveller at Lee's Chapel. Continuing on, the ride through West Virginia was absolutely gorgeous with mountain views and river valleys, we (Yes, I am including Traveller) reached Charleston around 3 p.m. on a Monday.

I'm going to be honest. There is not a whole lot to do in Charleston on a Monday. It's kind of quiet. So, if that's what you are looking for, go to Charleston on Monday. I will say, the run along the Kanawha River was pretty awesome. As my stepmother would say, moving onward!

On Tuesday, the trip through Kentucky to Louisvillehosted amazing views of rolling hills and beautiful fields. Rolling into Louisville, you are greeted by the Ohio River on your right and the pretty skyline in front of you.

I parked Traveller on Main Street and walked to what I am came there for, Louisville Live! This is an entertainment district designed by the Cordish Companies (we will talk about them again later) complete with several entertaining bars, restaurants, and a street that easily converts into a stage.

Unfortunately, I was in town on a Tuesday and this place is only hopping on the weekends. Louisville Live! is an amazing concept, as are a lot of the Cordish properties. Another part of Louisville, and where my gig was, is called the Highlands.

If Carytown and the Fan had a baby, you would get the Highlands. It's two miles of bars, restaurants and shops. And just like Richmond, it hosts quite an eclectic mix of people and atmospheres. I would definitely come back to Louisville!

My next stop was St. Louis.

Rolling down the western portion of 64 (yes, it goes that far), I was welcomed to the STL by the oh-so-amazingGateway Arch. Of course I checked it out, calm down. I won't bore you with the details, but I will tell you that it's 630 feet tall and wide, and it has an observation deck (great view!).

The next thing I saw was Busch Stadium, and baseball was in my face for the duration of my stay in St. Louis. They love the Cardinals. If you think we are crazy about the Squirrels, child please! Their stadium is also built downtown. There are a few advantages to this I noticed.

First, their traffic plan is well thought out with a good flow of one way streets. Two, parking is abundant. Three, if the stadium is full, you can just watch the game from the 360 Rooftop Bar.

This got me thinking. Wouldn't it be cool to watch a Squirrels game from the observation deck at City Hall or from one of the office buildings downtown. I think we should also recruit a rooftop bar as well (more on that later).

If we leave the stadium at the Boulevard, these ideas would not be possible. I was lucky enough to be in the STL on a game day, so I got to see what it’s like in a town with a ballpark in a downtown setting. People everywhere, the Gateway Arch was crawling with Cardinals fans, bars were busy, and then when it was game time everyone headed to Busch.

Bars were still somewhat busy, but when the game was over, bars were packed again! The lesson learned from this: Shockoe Bottom would benefit greatly from a stadium. PS, the Mississippi River is huge.

The week ended with amazement in Kansas City. I can't even begin to describe how awesome Kansas City is.

I know some of you are reading this like, "Really, Kansas City?” Yes, really! Remember how we talked about the Cordish Companies? They come into play here.

In 2006, people worked downtown, but after that, they went home. In 2007, that all changed. There was a wasting away area of town known as the Power & Light District, which was like an emptier version of Shockoe Bottom.

There was nothing there. But then, the mayor of Kansas City called on the Cordish Companies to fix it.

Today, the Power & Light District is a booming entertainment district that I can only briefly explain, or I could write a book, which ever you prefer.

It is anchored by the Sprint Center, which is a basketball arena that seats more than 18,000 people (Richmond needs this!). Right next to it is what is known as the KC Live! block.

Louisville Live! was pretty cool, but this blows it out of the water.

There are 16 bars that surround an open-air courtyard (with a roof in case it rains) that hosts its own bar known as the Living Room, and of course there is a full concert stage as well.

My favorite part: People can walk from bar to bar with a drink in their hand. How is this possible?

Well, the Cordish Companies got a special entertainment district permit passed through the Missouri General Assembly that allows patrons of the KC Live! block to go from bar to bar with a plastic cup filled with alcohol.

Unfortunately, you can't leave the KC Live! block with your drink like you might be able to do in Savannah. There are a couple more blocks of bars, restaurants, and shops in the P&L.

One more thing I need to highlight about this district. Across the street from the KC Live! block is a parking deck.

Now, this isn't your average parking deck. It shares space with a grocery store. Ok, that's kind of cool. Not done yet. Above the parking deck, there is a green space that is available for event rentals. Yeah, still not done yet. Above the grocery store, yep, rooftop pool with a bar and cabana beds. No big deal.

During the day on the weekends, this place, known as the Jones Pool, is like a daytime club filled with young and attractive people. Needless to say, I was there on Saturday and Sunday. See my Facebook page for photos. Whoever owns the 12th Street garage, take notes and get to work because this needs to happen in Richmond. Or we can just wait until RVA Live! is built right next to Shockoe Stadium?

Ok, so that is the main part of Kansas City that I visited, but I did want to touch on a few other places in the KC.

There is Country Club Plaza, which is what would happen if Carytown and Short Pump had a baby, and what I think would work perfectly for the Boulevard. Then there is Westport, which is like a condensed version of the Fan. Apparently, Kansas City doesn't like long walks on the sidewalk. Then there is the Riverfront.

Did I mention that all four of these cities have running trails along their riverfront? Like right next to it. Can't wait for Richmond to complete the Riverfront Plan!

Well, that covers a good amount of my travels this week.

Look for my article next week as I head south to San Antonio and hit up a few spots along the way.

Follow my tour with #SGT26 and follow my research with #RVAred. I'm on all social media platforms as DJ mFace, so follow me to learn more and see more. Don't forget to check out my Finale Show at the Capital Ale House Music Hall on Aug. 1 to support Richmond Metropolitan Habitat for Humanity. Bring friends!