Well, the district is what it is. It’s a “canned” entertainment district that primarily caters to suburbanites and tourists, but also does well during lunch hour and the LIVE block pretty much goes nuts on weekends.
The chain places are there sure, but there are many local dining places as well. The Peachtree, The Bristol etc.
If you want bbq in KC, you don’t go to Famous Dave’s and that place is already struggling and the latest is that it will be replaced by a pizza place. No local BBQ favorite wanted to close an existing location to move to the P&L. There are tons of authentic BBQ places around downtown and for five bucks, any cab driver should know where to go.
This place really added a convenience and safety factor to people attending events downtown. The Sprint Center, Midland, AMC theaters, Music Hall, Muni Auditorium, Bartle Hall and soon to the 425 million dollar Performing Arts Center should keep the district full of people that are just not interested hunting down the more local places in the urban areas surrounding downtown.
The P&L District has added something to the urban core that was desperately needed. It’s become a gathering spot for major events, the new year’s bash was like something I’ve never seen in the Midwest. There are few places with such a controlled night club scene. Downtown KCMO on Friday and Saturday nights looks like something I could never have imagined a few years ago. It’s a thriving city with people and taxis everywhere.
So, it’s fake and all, but It’s a little bit of everything. Downtown now has one of the nicest urban grocery stores in the country, at least for a city this size. Theaters, live concerts in the LIVE block, at the Midland or in the surroundings venues and arenas.
KCMO still has the River Market, the Crossroads, Midtown and the Plaza and now we have this. I think the city’s urban core really has a lot going for it now and offers any sort of urban experience one could imagine and it keeps getting better.
We still have these nearby developments coming as well:
Plus, another theater is opening back up:
All of this filled a giant hole on the south side of Downtown that was nothing but small vacant or underused buildings and surface parking lots.