Shopping on the Plaza

I write this post with great pleasure.  It is the Country Club Plaza in Kansas City that as a young girl planted the seed of desire in me to see the world.  There's a bit of Barcelona here, a bit of London, and a bit of Florence.  That such romantic architecture and European art is smack dab in the middle of the plains throws people off whenever they visit here.   Where the heck are we?

The Plaza was designed in 1922 as the nation's first suburban shopping area and I think it's safe to say, it has to still be one of the most beautiful.  There is no comparison to the malls that have sprung up since then with their stage set facades, park benches and potted plants.  There are the familiar stores like Anthropologie, Banana Republic, Coach and J. Crew, as well as the higher end stores like Tiffany's, Michael Kors and Kate Spade.  But seriously, I doubt if a more beautiful Cheesecake Factory exists anywhere!

It is a restaurant on the Plaza where my father introduced me to oysters on the half-shell.  This is where I shopped for my wedding dress.  Danced away the night on New Year's Eve.  Had my two-year-old son fall asleep on my lap during a meal with long lost friends.  And last week went to Hall's with my mom and sister where everything in the store is museum quality. Where we oohed and aahed over the bolts of hand painted silk at Kaplans and planned for future purchases of Chanel tweed and Missoni knit.  Shopping the Plaza in Kansas City is a wonderful experience.  For me, it brought back memories that are truly priceless!