This is a weekend ride that I’ve been doing a lot lately from Westport to Budd Park in the Old Northeast. It’s almost entirely on boulevards and the BikeKC network, so the roads are good and most storm drain grates are fixed. The terrain is mostly flat, the traffic is low, and the route is scenic. It’s 17 miles as mapped below, but you can easily take a side trip to the City Market, Berkley Riverfront Park, Cliff Drive. The Old Northeast has many small Mexican, Vietnamese, and Middle Eastern restaurants.
This is a great route for exploring the city. Some of the highlights along the way include historic apartments along Armour Boulevard,the Scottish Rite Temple, Troost Lake, 18th & Vine, The Paseo, the Women’s Fountain, the mansions along Gladstone Boulevard, the KC Museum, The Concourse park and fountain, and the Colonnade and JFK Memorial. Some of the neighborhoods include Hyde Park, Beacon Hill, Pendleton Heights, Scarritt, Indian Mound, and Valentine. If the weather is hot, bring your swimsuit – you will pass by public swimming pools in Budd Park and Benton Plaza Park.
Excellent route. The pools, however, are closed until schools are out next spring.
Oh yea, that is a variation on my commute to school—back in the day! I usually went north on Holmes, across 18th and through 18th & Vine. Then north on Woodland to Missouri, Lexington, and St. John.
I also rode across 36th St. going through Hyde Park. This transect of the city does take you through some KC history. I always thought I had a great commuting route. And I still ride it “just for fun” since I’ve retired.