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I arrived at the Lawrence, KS McDonalds and my jaw dropped. Right there on the door was a sign - "Breakfast served until 11:30am EVERYDAY" (I added the caps). I was shocked, surprised and totally giddy as I probably scared the girl at the counter with my excitement that I could still get my regular breakfast. It was delicious. I mapped out my route and started driving towards my lunch spot - Oklahoma Joe's Barbecue in Kansas City.
As you would probably expect by now, the drive wasn't very exciting. The conclusion of "Murder in Mesopotamia" however was exciting.
After driving by the gas station that houses Oklahoma Joes I finally figured out where it was and was able to get a parking spot fairly close to the door, which was good since it was already 97 degrees. Now, I had looked up places in Kansas that Food Network had been to (specifically Triple D), but none of them were barbecue places. So I ran a Google search for the best barbecue in Kansas City. Oklahoma Joes was right at the top, and since it's inside of a gas station, I had to check it out.
So what did I order? The 2 meat combo plate - brisket and ribs which comes with 2 slices of buttered toast, a side of french fries and large styrofoam cup of Mountain Dew. I took my tray and found a counter stool by the window, facing out by my car. I immediately grabbed 2 sections of paper towel and was ready to dig in. From the beginning it had the makings of my best meal of the trip. I ate the brisket and while it was good I immediately regretted not having ordered the sausage instead. Oh well. Then I dug into the ribs. Yeah... Kansas City knows barbecue. The meat was perfect. Stays on the bone until it hits your mouth and then slides right off. Great flavor, great color and that's all you can ask for. I alternated rib and toast for a while, occasionally sipping on some Dew. When I finished, I was done. I began to worry about falling asleep at the wheel thanks to a food coma but figured that if I filled up the cup with some more Mountain Dew that could keep me awake until St. Louis.
On the way out I bought a bottle of their CowTown barbecue sauce to bring home to mom.
Back in the car and on the road, it's time for another mystery and some music. I was into Missouri now and really had no expectations until I hit St. Louis. And then I saw what I believed to be a mirage on the highway. I couldn't believe that I had seen what I thought I had seen. But if it was real, I couldn't let it pass by. I jumped off at the next exit to investigate. Had I been wrong and it was a mirage I would only lose about 5 minutes. If I was right I'd have a story to tell.
I pulled off at the exit for Wentzville, Missouri. It reminded me a bit of the Cortland Town Center in Mohegan Lake in terms of colors and structure for a strip mall. By now I had confirmed I was not seeing things and anticipation was building. It was only fitting that the Rolling Stones were playing as I pulled in to
...White Castle.
I ordered light, since I still had a few hundred miles to St. Louis and well, they don't call 'em Belly Bombers for nothing. So 2 burgers and an order of chicken rings. Of course I couldn't experience this alone, I sent texts to several people and called back to NY to my White Castle compatriot, Richie, who would appreciate this.
His first question, "any white people there?"
"They all are." I answered.
Not only that, but there was no bullet proof glass in front of the counter. It was a strange sight for me to see. But the food was still the food, so it was all good and I was back on the road.
As I was driving I realized this would probably be the best food day of the trip - the best McDonalds in the country, great barbecue and then White Castle. And I still hadn't eaten dinner yet.
I pulled into St. Louis and eagerly started looking for the Arch. I made the mistake of using the GPS again and all it could find was "St. Louis Art". Great, big help.
I eventually made my way over and found a parking lot to drop the car off while I did the tourist thing. First stop, of course, was the Mississippi River. I took some pictures, stuck my hand and acted like a real tourist. Then it was over to the arch. I didn't go inside for time and money constraints, but did stand in what I believe to be roughly the exact middle. Took some pictures, went over to Busch Stadium and took some more pictures, grabbed a burger at Hardees (specifically to use the restroom) and was then back in the car around 8 or so as the sun was going down.
Trying to make it as close to Memphis as I could, without running into my Arizona/Utah problem, when the GPS started reading "Low Battery", I had it find me a local hotel. Another Best Western in Sikeston, Missouri, so I figured it'd be pretty cheap. I pulled in and asked for a room. $73.95. At this point I was pretty tired from all the heat, and wasn't sure if the GPS had enough juice to get me to another place, so I reluctantly said yes.
I got the key to my room and brought my first load of stuff in. I opened the door and looked to the left for a light switch, turned on the lights and expected to see a small bathroom off to the side. Instead I found what looked like a closet. I looked ahead and didn't see a bed, instead I saw a mini-fridge with microwave, a couch, coffee table and arm chair. I stepped in a little more and saw a TV and desk and another room. Inside of the other room was a king sized bed, dresser, another TV, 2 lamp tables and then a separate bathroom. I suddenly wasn't so pissed about the price for the night. I brought in the rest of my stuff and then took a refreshing shower before going to bed.
Sikeston, Missouri - Southern Hospitality starts here. That's what the brochures say, and I'm inclined to agree.
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