Fly Over This

Touching down at KCI is often accompanied by an emotional letdown. Sure, life in Kansas City is good, but it’s inevitably less dynamic than the place I just visited.

But returning from Southern California last night felt different. After navigating the immense highway system in Los Angeles hours earlier, I-29's six lanes seemed laughably puny. And after practically living in a rental car the past five days, the trek home passed in mere moments.

While out west, I was based in Orange County. All strip malls and subdivisions, it’s really nothing more than a mature Johnson County with six times the population. Of course, Kansas City lacks California’s amenities, but that’s all just a few hours away on Southwest Airlines.

As I hurtled through Platte Woods, Kansas City suddenly seemed easy. I could own this town.