Tuesday, July 09, 2013

Going to the top of City Hall

We didn't, but it wasn't for lack of trying.  
David had to move along, but he pointed out the building we wanted (the one with the flag on top) as we parted ways.  It was only a few blocks away, so we located it, drove past it, and found a parking garage nearby; I left my purse in the trunk of the car, but took my Ipad along so I could take pictures.  Then we walked a little over a block, took a good look at the tall building in front of us, and entered.  
Good grief, it was like being at the airport.  They practically strip-searched us.  Cliff had to empty his pockets and take off his belt.  All I had in my pocket was my Fitbit (the thing that counts my steps), and of course there was the Ipad in my hand.  The metal detector we had to walk through was set off by my artificial knee.  But we did make it through, and I said, "We want to go to the top of the building.  How do we get there?"
"You can't do that," the guy said.  "Security won't let anybody go up there.  But you can go across the road to City Hall and go to the top."  
Cliff said, "This isn't City Hall?"  
"No, this is the Jackson County Courthouse."  
All that unloading of pockets and emptying pockets for nothing.  Obviously we had lost sight of the flag atop City Hall.  Across the street we went, where Cliff was once more required to empty pockets and remove his belt, and where once again my artificial knee set off the buzzer.  When we had been sufficiently searched, I said, "We'd like to go to the top of the building.  Can we do that?"  
"Yes," the guard said, "Just go down one floor.  You will see a circular desk.  Tell the man sitting there that you want to go to the top, and someone will accompany you up there."  
Now we were getting somewhere.  I had not been up there since back around 2000 or so, when my daughter and her children and I went to a St. Patrick's Day parade and stopped by City Hall afterward.  
We saw the aforementioned desk, walked up to it, and told the man what we wanted.  
Guess what?  We had to do another strip search, although this one wasn't quite as extensive as the other two.  Once we were deemed to be weapon-free, we were asked for our ID's.  

Mine was in my purse in the trunk of the car.  
We had done quite a bit of walking already, and by this time I was seriously out of the mood to see Kansas City from atop City Hall.  I did get a picture.


Unfortunately, I don't know whether this was at City Hall or the Jackson County Courthouse.  *sigh*

I promised Cliff that I wouldn't make him take me back to City Hall any time soon.  I'm still glad we had the opportunity to drive around downtown, because we were both impressed at how clean and pleasant the area is, compared to bygone years.  Things have really changed for the better in Kansas City.  

4 comments:

  1. Geez, sorry for all the problems... City Hall and the Jackson County Courthouse do look alike... City Hall is the taller. You two don't look threatening enough to go through all that hoopla.

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  2. I don't understand why you needed ID if you had already been searched. You don't look threatening at all. Glad the visit was interesting and impressive.

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  3. Wow.

    All I've got is a couple of sarcastic remarks so I'll keep those to myself.

    Nice picture, though.

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  4. That's a lot of strip searching. Neither one of you look dangerous.

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