My parents started taking me to the Country Club Plaza at Christmas and we would drive up and down Ward Parkway beginning in 1945 and then I took my children every year beginning when they were babies. I had not been back at Christmas between 1985 and a quick trip back in 2010. What a HUGE difference in 2010. Not the same area at all. Really missed Harzfeld’s wonderful animated windows as well as Cricket West. Was at Plaza III when the big flood over ran Brush Creek and came through the front window. Wonderful memories.
I often wondered why the Mission Hills people just didn’t move over to the east side of State Line!
I live within walking distance and since the Nichols family (founders and developers of Kansas City, MO's Country Club Plaza, so named because it was originally the city dump that became surrounded by golf courses and country clubs) sold out to N.C. Highwoods Properties, has turned into one major chain mall with many chain eateries and bars - ugh! I don't bother walking there for there is little of interest to me as either a shopper or diner and drink and drown bars are not my scene.
When once, the cars blaring rap music were limited to one pass only through the Plaza, now has roving gangs shoving and jostling people as they enter and leave area shops.
This became a real scandal when two wives of KC Chief's executives were mugged in a parking lot and not too long ago, Sly James, KC Mayor, was forced to come to the aid of a passerby one weekend from a roving gang of "teens" (not-Amish.)
Sad, but that's what happens when the populace sinks to welfare recipients who continue to vote themselves more and more largess from the taxpayers and the elected supposed to be in charge of protecting the citizens, give way to "community involvement (read no guns, no cars, no motorcycles, just walking or biking making friends with the locals) to protection from such lawlessness.
Anything more than that is viewed as "police harassment" or "picking on minorities."