Thanksgiving Freeze Diary ❄️ | Days 1-2 in Kansas City

I went to Kansas City mainly because my mom has a close friend there who has helped me a lot. So I decided to take advantage of the Thanksgiving break to visit her, experience a different city, enjoy some countryside vibes, and recharge before a busy finals season. Landed at MCI Airport around noon on Wednesday. First stop: the famous Jack Stack BBQ 🍖. The portions were HUGE — the "Pick Three" combo could easily feed three people (we chose pork ribs, lamb ribs, and beef burnt ends). The mains were decent, but my favorite was actually the creamed corn! 😋 My mom’s friend also loved the salad pairing. In the afternoon, we visited Union Station and Crown Center 🚉🛍️. KC was once a major railroad hub in the Midwest, and the grand train station still shows that history. Now it houses little shops, exhibits — great for kids (like the Christmas-themed exhibit that day). Crown Center is a shopping + office complex with lots of food options on the first floor and clothing stores upstairs — full of running kids 😂. The famous Hallmark headquarters is nearby — we visited its museum. All these spots are connected by indoor walkways, perfect for winter or rainy days. Of course, I had to go for a run! 🏃‍♂️ On the second morning, I ran 18k along Indian Creek Trail. This trail is perfect for running — gentle slopes, changing scenery, lush vegetation 🌳. The novelty made the 70+ minutes feel effortless. But it was FREEZING — my shoes were stiff, my cheeks were numb, and the worst part was taking off my gloves to check my phone 🥶 (Maybe I didn’t feel tired because I was frozen silly lol). After the run, we wandered near the KC Convention Center in the morning. In the afternoon — since it was Thanksgiving — the highlight was the turkey and BBQ! 🦃🔥 It was my first time seeing a real smoker and grill up close — so cool! The turkey turned from white to golden brown in the smoker. The grill was even wilder — it needed gasoline to light up! We grilled veggie skewers, salmon, and lamb. Charcoal-grilled food really tastes more flavorful than pan-cooked, and the char looks amazing 😍. At night, we went to the Country Club Plaza tree lighting ceremony 💡. The whole street was packed! There were music and acrobatic performances on stage, and at 7 PM, everyone counted down together — then all the building lights turned on at once! So spectacular! With energetic music on stage and the crowd cheering, it was even livelier than downtown Chicago last Thanksgiving! 🎉😆 #AmericanLife #StudyInUSA #Thanksgiving #Travel #USATravel #KansasCity #MyDailyLife