A Walk or Two Around Midtown on the last day of February 2026

      I live in an area of Kansas City, Missouri called Westport or Midtown or both. It’s a very urban area of the city and it’s probably not for everyone but I love it here. I live in a building built in 1910 so I guess it might be considered an historic building and it’s right across from the “Shady Shell” on 38th and Main. You experience it all around here. 

     Earlier today, I walked to the Westport Post Office to ship a package. It’s only about a 3 block walk from here and it’s nice today. In my ongoing effort to keep myself mobile and out of a nursing home (I’m 64), I try to walk around here as much as possible. On the way back in the block between Westport Road and 39th on Baltimore Street, I came across a young man walking a beautiful Golden Retriever. He was on the other side of the street but walked across the street to where I was standing. Actually, the dog was very friendly and led him across the street to me. The Golden Retriever was tall. I have had and currently have a small dog so my frame of reference is probably off but I am 5’6” and the dog was tall enough to reach my waist. The young man was so friendly and I loved him (not literally) instantly. He shook my hand and said his name was Jordan and that he had just moved into the area. He was wearing some type of black graphic tshirt, buffalo-checked flannel pants and, the pièce de résistance, a red taxi-driver hat with a “Mario” logo on it. Maybe, he’s a “Gamer”? I hope I see him and his dog again on my walks to and from the Post Office. I forgot to ask his dog’s name.

     Earlier this week when I was at the local grocery store, I sat down in the Deli for a bit before I headed home. A guy walked behind me and sat at the table behind me. In retrospect, I realized he was probably unhoused and clever and hungry. As I was doomscrolling, I heard a person behind me say, “I’m sorry sir but the store has said you didn’t pay for what you are eating”. It was the Security Guard. I assume the guy sitting behind was a regular “shopper” and probably had “eyes on him” the moment he walked in the store. The Security Guard walked back to his post by the front door and, a couple minutes later, the guy got up and walked out of the Deli carrying his purloined food. The Security Guard didn’t even wait to follow the guy and I find it hilarious that he even apologized to the shoplifter. I wonder if he ever paid for it or just walked out with it? To give you an idea of the bigger picture in this Deli, there are numerous signs on the walls and windows that say “Please only stay in the Deli for 30 Minutes”. Sadly, there is a large unhoused population in this area. What are they going to do if it’s cold out or really hot or raining. Loitering, even if you get busted for it eventually, is a viable option. So is walking around wearing a duck costume. I saw someone doing that today in the area of the “Shady Shell”. 

     When I took my little dog for a walk earlier and we tried to cross the death trap intersection of 38th & Main, I noticed a young man walking around the corner wearing what appeared to be a duck costume. Sadly, being unhoused and often also dealing with substance abuse disorders, people turn into circus acts to make money. When my dog and I returned from our walk, I saw the guy in the duck costume talking to someone in a car parked outside the “Shady Shell”. Some people will find this funny and probably give the guy some money. 

     I see a lot of things around here on my walks. There’s the guy who stands on the southwest corner of 38th & Main. He’s been around awhile. I used to think he had Tourette’s and was homeless and, maybe, both? One day, when I was newer to this area, I actually went out and asked him if he was okay when I heard him yelling. His answer was, “Yes. I just like to stand here and yell”? So, we gotta mix of people around here in Midtown/Westport: The people with Mario hats who seem like good neighbors and other people wearing duck costumes who are struggling.