Wichita is the largest city in the State of Kansas and it is mostly known for two things: First, the famous Chisholm Trail, a cattle trail in the 2nd half of the 19th century, which went through town; this tradition is commemorated in Old Cowtown. Second, it’s the „Air Capital of the World“, one of the largest airplane manufacturing centers worldwide.
With its Museums on the River, the popular trails along the riverfront and an attractive downtown Wichita is sort of a hidden gem and has a lot to offer. An absolute highlight on the river is Exploration Place, a hands-on Science Museum. The architecture on its own, planned by acclaimed architect Moshe Safdie of Boston, is worth being seen.
This museum is not far away from the famous „Keeper of the Plains“, a huge statue watching what’s going on in the city. Designed by an indian artist by name Blackbeard Bosin, it marks the confluence of Arkansas and Little Arkansas River, formerly a sacred place for the indians, the original inhabitants of the areal. Staying in Wichita for the second time, we were fortunate and saw the sculpture „on fire“: it’s illuminated every evening with a circle of firepits at its feet – a spectacular view and the grand finale of a city tour with James from Wichita tourism.
Old Town is becoming more and more attractive, lots of ecclectic shops, galleries, an open-air stage for free concerts in summer, Warren Theatre, great bars and pubs and restaurants. Even on a weekday in off-season it appeared lively. Delaney Avenue, another shopping-dining strip, looked equally appealing when we drove by.
We were staying in the historic Ambassador Hotel, located within the beautifully renovated Union National Bank Building in downtown Wichita. From our room on the top floor, we had a gorgeous view and noticed for the first time that Wichita is surrounded by woods (mostly thanks to Arkansas River), not flat prairie land, as typical for Kansas. First day that it's been a bit cooler this evening and that we needed a sweater.
With James, a real "foodie", we had a great meal at the Harvest Restaurant, part of the Hyatt, where we met the chef who is really into farm-to-table and seasonal food - still rare in Kansas. We shared a tasty meat and cheese platter as an appetizer (with cheeses from the nearby Amish community in Yoder, where we stopped the next morning on our way to Hutchinson) and had superb Lamb T-Bone and Ribeye Steak. What especially made a difference to other restaurants were the sides and toppings, very creative, not your standard baked or mashed potatoes or broccoli. Only detail to criticize would have been the speed of serving and clearing up …
Great hotel, great meal, great tour, what else could we have wished? A couple more hours of time perhaps…
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