More Landmarks for the February Meeting Location

[Leo J Mauler]

So I drove out there tonight with a tape recorder running and a
microphone clipped to my collar to describe the landmarks I saw while
driving up to the GeKL Technologies building.

Just to remind everyone of the address:

7505 NW Tiffany Springs Pkwy
Suite 200 (Second Floor)
Kansas City, MO  64153-1389

The exit off I-635 onto I-29 North is Exit 12A, for those coming in from
the Kansas side.  The exit is on the far left-hand side of the highway,
get into the far left-hand lane as soon as you see the sign announcing
the exit, or you'll end up entering the exit from the shoulder (like I
did).

When you get onto I-29 headed North, you're looking for Exit 10 off of
I-29 North, which is "Tiffany Springs Parkway".  You're going to see a
lot of signs announcing the KCI Airport Exit, which is Exit 13.

You'll soon see the sign announcing the City Limit of Platte Woods.
Platte Woods is the city in which "Tiffany Springs Parkway" is located.

There is a hospital on Exit 8 off I-29, and you'll see the sign
announcing this.  NW Barry Road is Exit 8.
As you approach this exit you will be able to see a brightly lit "AMC 24"
theater sign off to the right.  Off to the left you can see lit signs, in
this order, for a "Motel 6", a "UMB Bank", and a "McDonalds".

You'll know you're getting close when the car dealers start showing up on
your left.  The first set of car dealers you'll see on your left are
Lexus and Volvo.  Shortly after you see these car dealers you'll see the
sign announcing "Tiffany Springs Parkway - 1/2 Mile".

Next you'll see a Saturn dealership,  and a few other dealerships beyond
that one.  When you see the Jay Wolffe TOYOTA dealer up on your left, you
should be moving into the far right lane because Exit 10 is coming up.

As you enter Exit 10 you'll see a "Sleep Inn" and an "AmeriSuites" to
your left (just past the TOYOTA dealer).  Off to your right you can see
the aforementioned "Embassy Suites" hotel.  As you descend the off-ramp a
hill will block your view of the "Embassy Suites" hotel.

There is a stoplight at the foot of the hill.  If you turn left you will
reach a "Cracker Barrel Old Country Store" which is open until 11pm,
serves good homestyle cooking, and would make an ideal substitute for
Dennys.  But right now you want to get to the February meeting location,
so turn right at the stoplight at the end of the Exit 10 off-ramp.

After turning right you will be at another stoplight.  Continue straight
through the stoplight in the far right hand lane.  Follow the curve
around.

As you make the curve, a building with a giant lit sign saying
"WORLDSPAN" is in front of you and gradually moving to your left.  Off to
the right you will see a building with a lit sign saying "American
Administrative Services".  This is the building *next to* 7505 Tiffany
Springs Pkwy.  Turn into the parking lot entrance for this building,
right before a sign saying "NorthPointe Circle - I & II".  7505 Tiffany
Springs Pkwy is also Building I in NorthPointe Circle.  "American
Adminstrative Services" is 7509 Tiffany Springs Pkwy and also Building
II.

As you pass through the parking lot and in front of the lit sign saying
"American Administrative Services", find a parking space just past the
lit sign saying "American Administrative Services".  The entrance to the
building has a mostly covered walkway between Building I and Building II.
There is a flagpole at the entrance with the U.S. Flag and another flag
on it.  To either side of the flagpole you will see a squat square pillar
with a circular light on it.  Each light is crosshatched, like a
tic-tac-toe board.  Below each light is each building's street address.
Building I's entrance has the FedEx box in front of it.

If you need to fill up on gas after travelling such a long distance,
there's a gas station across the parking lot from the "American
Administrative Services" building.

-----

The "Cracker Barrel Old Country Store" is 0.3 miles away from the GeKL
Technologies building, and is located at:

7920 NW Tiffany Springs Pkwy
Kansas City, MO  64153

Basically across I-29 from the GeKL Technologies building.

In case you're wondering what sorts of food they serve, you can see their
menu online at:

http://www.crackerbarrel.com/

Click on the sixth icon--starting from the left--at the top of the
window, "Breakfast Lunch Dinner - Served Here".

Right now they have their "Coca-Cola Cake" available, a double-chocolate
cake made with Coca-Cola.  They only feature this cake a couple times a
year, and it is not to be missed.