Kansas City was not a city I was particularly excited about visiting (1 - 7 May). I chose to spend a week there because I wanted to break up the drive between Denver and Chicago, not wanting to drive that much in one weekend; it was a city I was unfamiliar with, and it was conveniently located along the path I was taking.
I stayed on the Kansas [state] side of the city, but only a block away from the state line, and so spent time on both sides throughout my stay. It’s certainly a BBQ town, with that subject coming up in many of the conversations I had while I was there.