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Maple the Moose, Zayu the Jaguar and Clutch the Bald Eagle visited Kansas City on Saturday. The FIFA World Cup 26 mascots were in town to celebrate the opening weekend of the KC Streetcar Main Street Extension.
Like many riders, local businesses along the route were celebrating the opening. Some business owners believe everyone will benefit from the free public transportation options, especially when World Cup visitors arrive next summer.
On Saturday, a group of friends took riding the streetcar to another level — they turned it into a bar crawl.
They said it was a fun way to support local businesses.
“Just like a way to experience Kansas City without a car,” said James Natoli, bar crawl participant.
He said the streetcar is a "fantastic" opportunity World Cup visitors should take advantage of next year.
“I have all the bars and some notes about each one. Some are good places for food because we’re going to be out,” Natoli said as he showed his itinerary.
Tyler Garcia joined in the fun. He lives in North Dakota but was in Kansas City for the weekend.
“The fact that we can go on this public transport, go to these bars, and then go to the next one is so fun,” Garcia said. “I think the streetcar will benefit a lot of people who have never been to America the most.”
Chris Campbell hopped on the streetcar on Saturday, too. He’s from the area but hasn’t lived here since the ’90s, so he said he feels like a tourist.
“It’s amazing. We were at Union Station, coming down. I wanted to show the Plaza,” he said as he arrived at the Plaza stop. “We were at Union Station asking, ‘Where do we buy tickets?’ And my mom’s like, ‘Well, it’s free.’”
A couple of stops down, the Midtown Fall Fest was underway in Westport. Attendees were immersed in a taste of the World Cup.
“That’s fun. It was my first time meeting the FIFA World Cup mascots,” said Aynlia Mohamed, who was dressed as Buzz Lightyear for Halloween.
Francisco Matos also took pictures with the mascots. He’s from Puerto Rico but has lived in Kansas City for 20 years.
“This is exciting. I mean, we’ve been thinking about this since they announced that FIFA was coming to Kansas City,” Matos said.
Matos took the streetcar to the event.
“I think this is going to be a great opportunity for people from around the world to get to know our city," he said. “Tourists will find that using the streetcar gives them so many places to go — all in one route."
Hammers Dueling Piano Bar sits close to the site of the fall fest. Owner Brett Dowell said he's excited to welcome more people.
“We’re part of the city now,” he said.
Dowell admitted the streetcar is part of the reason for the bar's location.
“Midtown was always kind of the outcast,” he said. “Now everybody’s stopping by, so it’s perfect.”
Terry Tommer lives in Kansas City, Kansas, but he took a ride on the extension Saturday morning.
“It’s awesome,” Tommer said. “We were noticing all the stores down here and people getting on and off. I think it’s really going to help this area.”
The southern extension had to stop operations for about an hour and a half Saturday due to a crash involving a vehicle and a pedestrian.
Donna Mandelbaum, communications director with the KC Streetcar Authority, said buses ran during that time to ensure passengers could get where they needed to go.
Extended KC Streetcar Bar Crawl
Courtesy of James Natoli
- City Market — Opera House
- River Market North — Taste of Brazil
- River Market West — Muni
- Library — John’s Big Deck & The Dub
- Metro Center — McFadden’s, or any of the million bars
- Power & Light — Johnnie’s Jazz Bar & Grille
- Kauffman Center — Streetcar Grille & Tavern
- Crossroads — Fern Bar, Up-Down & Casual Animal
- Union Hill — Martini Corner, L&J’s, Gates BBQ
- Armour — Uptown Lounge & Main Street Tavern
- Westport — Kelly’s, Laney’s, Tin Cup, etc.
- Southmoreland — Levee Bar and Grill & divey music bar
- Art Museums/Plaza — Café Trio
- UMKC — Peanut on Main
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