by Mon Yin Lung

SWALL Local Arrangements Committee Chair
Assistant Director and Head of Public Services
Florida International University College of Law Library

SWALL will hold its 2003 meeting in Kansas City, Missouri.  This is SWALL's first time in K.C. Here are some great things to know about the upcoming meeting:

1. The meeting begins on April 3, ends on April 5, and includes a trip to KU Law School (Lawrence, Kansas) for our Saturday programs.

2. The Marriott at Country Club Plaza (yes, the world renowned Country Club Plaza) is our conference hotel.  It is at the east edge of the Plaza (45th Street and Main), overlooking the Neptune Fountain and across the street from the headquarters of the American Century Mutual Fund. 

Literally next door to the hotel is the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Arts with its very contemporary Sebastian Restaurant where each dish is also a piece of artwork.  The bonus of the Kemper Museum is that the admission is free.

About two blocks to the east are the Kansas City Art Institute (where Thomas Benton taught) and the Nelson-Atkins Gallery, which is famous for its East Asian collection (mainly Chinese, Japanese, and Tibetan).  Here you can see a traditional Chinese bedroom and a temple.  (The Kuan-Yin statue is my favorite.)  But this collection is only the tip of the iceberg.  More information will be available in the next issue. In the mean time, you can discover more at http://www.nelson-atkins.org/.

If you enjoy living the high life, the Plaza with its upscale restaurants and shops is certainly for you.   The Country Club Plaza officially begins at 47th Street and Main: simply walk down the hill and turn west and you will be in the heart of the activities.  If you want that romantic touch, you can hop on to the decorated pumpkin carriage with a white horse and ride the evening away.  Meanwhile to mingle business with pleasure, you can also brief yourself on the murder-for-hire case between the two competitors who own the two carriage companies.  If you are adventurous, walk two short blocks east and north, and you will be in the Westport area with all the local shops and bars and music.  Just try not to look too youthful because the city imposes a curfew for underage kids within Westport.

3. To celebrate, we have booked a barbeque / bar crawl for Thursday night group time.  Just remember to get up early enough for the traditional Friday morning business meeting!

4. Kansas City is famous for its fresh produce and good eating.  It offers not only the famous barbeque but also a wide assortment of ethnic cuisine. American, Italian, French, Chinese, Japanese, seafood ..., you name it and it is there. 

More information on our Kansas City conference is forthcoming.  Watch out for further announcements. 

Kansas City has so much to offer I highly recommend that you arrive early on Wednesday AND depart on Sunday so you can make the most of your trip!