Select Past Recommendations
BOOK: “Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America 1619-2019” edited by Ibram X. Kendi. An encapsulation of a series of well researched events and periods of time throughout the Black experience in this nation. I highly recommend listening to it as an audiobook.
TV Series: Ted Lasso. As my adult nephew simply said, we all wish to be like Ted Lasso. #ArthurJoe’sGatesStackKCBBQ
EATS: The Quincy Club made famous at the old Stipp’s Restaurant within the Southside German Historic District in Quincy, IL. It’s a big BLT on toast made with homegrown / heirloom tomatoes, fat juicy bacon, romaine, Miracle Whip, AND a couple thick slices of braunschweiger. Mmmmmmm
“Sometimes the greatest adventure is simply a conversation." Amadeus Wolfe
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BOOK: “Land: How the Hunger for Ownership Shaped the Modern World” by Simon Winchester. Comprehensive and at times provocative overview of my broader industry, which can be appreciated.
TV Series: The Durrells in Corfu. This four season Masterpiece Theater comedy/drama is based upon the autobiographical books of noted naturalist and conservationist Gerald Durrell. The storylines and colorful cinematics made this a truly delightful diversion during the pandemic.
EATS: Crawfish etouffee . . . made in our kitchen. Check out the select stories I currently have up on my Blogs page for the recipe. :-)
“Learning never exhausts the mind.” Leonardo da Vinci
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BOOK: “Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art” by James Nestor. It’s something we all do and can be better at doing.
PLACE: St Philippine Duchesne Memorial Park near Centerville, Kansas. This terminus of the Potawatomi Trail of Tears is a genuinely mystical place resting down a series of gravel roads an hour plus south of Kansas City. Beautifully maintained and thought provoking, this isolated site has enriching hiking trails and meditative sites, which are particularly needed at this time.
EATS: The chocolate gluten free Star Bars from Chelsea’s Bakehaus (www.chelseasbakehaus.com). Sooooo good and good for you!
“Example is leadership.” Dr. Albert Schweitzer++++++++++++
BOOK: “Factfulness: Ten Reasons We’re Wrong about the World – and Why Things Are Better Than You Think” by Dr. Hans Rosling and his family. This 2018 tour de force is perhaps the most important book I’ve read in a decade. Know thy world!
PLACE: Your Neighborhood – wherever you live, get out and walk around in a safe manner and discover the wonders nearby you. Take photos, bring an architectural guide to better understand architectural elements, or just be fully mindful of your surroundings, including your neighbors.
EATS: Home grown lettuce. It’s easy to grow and there are many different varieties for taste, texture, and beauty. We’re enjoying some red lettuces this year.
“Happiness is a form of courage.” Halbrook Jackson++++++++++++
BOOK: “Sometimes Brilliant” the autobiography (and amazing tales) of Larry Brilliant, MD, is subtitled “The Impossible Adventure of a Spiritual Seeker and Visionary Physician who Helped Conquer the Worst Disease in History”
PLACE: Linda Hall Library – this private, independent science library, with its wonderful grounds and amazing lectures, is one of best kept secrets in Kansas City
EATS: The fresh roasted pepper burritos at the family-owned Red Kitchen Tamales at the Lenexa Public Market
“I love this game.” Patrick Mahomes II++++++++++++
BOOK: “Educated: A Memoir” by Tara Westover – this NY Times bestseller is one of the most fascinating books I’ve read/listened to in quite some time.
MOVIE: The Biggest Little Farm (2018) is a fun, eye-opening documentary on creating an incredibly diverse farmstead from scratch . . . thanks to a dog.
EATS: The Gnocchi Bolognese at Corvino Supper Club in Downtown Kansas City is one of the most savory dishes you’ll ever enjoy. Promise! If the solo musician is playing Spanish classical guitar live in the background it doesn’t get much better.
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.” Mark Twain
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BOOK: “Hare & Hare, Landscape Architects and City Planners” by Cydney Millstein & Carol Grove – this critical perspective is for those who love Kansas City history and design.
LIBATIONS: Underdog Wine Co. in Crestwood & Union Hill (www.underdogwinekc.com) anytime, but especially when they get an autumn shipment of Beaujolais Nouveau.
EVENTS: KC’s TubaChristmas performances in Helzberg Hall at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. Treat yourself if you’ve never experienced this . . . and get there early for a good seat.
“You aren’t just the age you are. You are all the ages that you ever have been.” Kenneth Koch++++++++++++
BOOK: “Tattoos on the Heart” by Gregory Boyle, SJ, Founder of Homeboy Industries. (He had been scheduled to speak in KC in Spring 2020.)
EATS: The unbelievably tasty pumpkin pie at Rye, created by the award winning, Megan Garrelts.
SITES: Powell Gardens with its Festival of Lights. A truly beautiful setting featuring the architecture of E. Fay Jones.
“I cannot endure to waste anything so precious as autumnal sunshine by staying in the house.” Nathaniel Hawthorne
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ATTRACTION: Madurodam in The Hague — an amazingly, magical miniature village of Dutch landmarks. It’s been years since I was last there, yet I still remember it vividly. Make sure to stay for the Lilliputian procession at dusk.
BOOK: “Breakfast with Buddha” by Roland Merullo — the first of an acclaimed three-part fictional travel quest across America.
EATS: Potato Eggplant and Pepper 地三鲜 at Kin Lin Chinese Restaurant on 51st Street in Kansas City, MO
”Music is supposed to wash away the dust of everyday life.” Art Blakey
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BOOK: “American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America” by Colin Woodard
FESTIVAL: Kansas City’s amazing annual Ethnic Enrichment Festival in Swope Park (always in mid-August)
FILM: Being There (1979) — This was the second to last film starring the late, great Peter Sellers. In 2015, the Library of Congress selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry
”We will not establish self-sustaining colonies in space for at least 100 years, so we have to be very careful in the meantime.” Stephen Hawkings
++++++++++++_BOOK: “The Next 100 Years: A Forecast for the 21st Century” by George Friedman
EATS: The grilled fish tacos at Brick + Mortar in the Waldo Neighborhood, KCMO
SITE TO SEE: The Fort Worth (TX) Japanese Garden in The Cultural District
“Laughter is timeless, imagination has no age, dreams are forever.” Walt Disney
_++++++++++++BOOK: “Outside Lies Magic” by John Stilgoe
(one of my former professors and amongst the most interesting people I’ve ever known)MUSIC: The LP New Orleans Suite by Duke Ellington
MUSEUM: The Canadian Museum of History (formerly the Canadian Museum of Civilization/Musée Canadien des Civilisations) in Ottawa, Ontario
“Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds that you plant.” Robert Louis Stevenson___
++++++++++++FILM: Gandhi (1982) - produced by Sir Richard Attenborough with music by Ravi Shankar
DRIVE: US 34 along the Big Thompson River between Estes Park and Goodland, Colorado
BOOK: “The Situation in Flushing” by Edmund G. Love
”There is no Planet B.” Mike Berners-Lee______________
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