Middle of America

Last month, I went to Wichita to check out my girlfriend's hometown. The first time I went through Kansas, I was passed out in the passenger seat as my buddy drove all through the night to keep us on our non-stop trip from Chicago to Denver. The 12 hour stretch of pavement leading to and running through Kansas is flat and empty. This time around, I had native Wichitan Alice guide to show me some of what Wichita has to offer. Some quick facts about Wichita you may not know: It is not the state capitol (Topeka) The first Pizza Hut was opened in Wichita It is known as the Air Capital of the World because of the numerous aviation companies founded/operating in Wichita Population 372,186. While 1/10 the population of the city of LA, it is not really a small town. A quick survey of my class would reveal hometowns of 5,000 or less. You can drive a tractor to school in a small town. Your neighbors are a mile away in a small town. Chances are, if you've ever heard of the town, it's probably not a small town. Here is my real/your virtual tour guide. Hi Alice. Here we are at Nu Way Cafe, a local burger chain that opened in the 1920s and is still popular today for their crumbly patty burgers and root beer floats. The local people are all very friendly; one even offered to take a picture for us while in the restaurant. The guy probably though we were asian tourists; I guess he was half right. Old Cowtown, a living museum set comprised of old turn of the century or older buildings set up in a town formation. You can walk in and see the different businesses as they would have looked 100 years ago. We saw this cool foot operated bellows organ that they let us play with. Rice in a general store. The lobby of the Wichita Art Museum, the largest museum in Kansas. At first I noticed this amazing painting of Venice, and then I was suddenly even more intrigued by this ornate hand carved frame for the painting. The Keeper of the Plains watches over the city at the confluence of the Big and Little Arkansas Rivers. Girlfriend bundled up in a scarf, jacket, seatbelt, and car. Plane guts Here I am keeping watch over the parking lot. This is where my roll of Kodak Max 800 begins. Midcontinent Airport where you board via ladder. Denver layover. Finally home! I hope you enjoyed the tour as much as I did. The earlier photos were shot on Kodak Gold 400 (Wagon shot on 200). As for the ultra grainy photos, I was using up a roll of very expired 800 speed film that was left in a drawer when I was still in high school. What you see are the more tolerable shots.