Boxed In

What a FUN and clever window display! I love its play, humor and sophistication. Makes you wonder who/what else is in those boxes. You'll never guess where I took this photo... Kansas City at the Country Club Plaza.

The Plaza (see wikipedia also) is one of my favorite places in the world...and I've traveled a fair amount. I grew up in KC, went to school at the University of Missouri at Kansas City (UMKC), with its campus just a couple of blocks from the Plaza.

I've got fond memories of the area, including Brush Creek, Westport, Crown Center (home of Hallmark Cards) and, my favorite, Gates BBQ. So whenever I'm home, I take a trip down memory lane. Seeing how splendid the Plaza is today makes me wonder why I ever left. But at age 22, after living here all my life and quite curious about what else the world has to offer, life in the Midwest made me feel rather boxed in...I was dying to get out, to spread my wings and grow.

In a way, that's what I see in this image...a burgeoning flair and sophistication trying to unleash itself (get out of its box), to become whole and greet the world headon.

So, after graduating from college, I packed up my car ('64 1/2 Ford Mustang) and headed west. First to Phoenix (for a couple of years) and then, finally, to make my new home in San Francisco. They say you can take the girl out of the country, but you can never take the country out of the girl...mostly true, in my case. But looking back, I see how much growing up I did after leaving home, and with every trip back I realize it's not just me...Kansas City, too, has done a lot of growing up. Don't just take my word for it, check out this video.