Saturday 1 February 2014 | 35 hours in Wichita, Kansas, USA
My company has sent me once again to one of my least favorite city…This is my second time in Wichita, Kansas. The first time, was such a bust. I did absolutely nothing. This time around, it’s icy cold but I’m hoping to find something more exciting in this city. Surprise, surprise, I did.
Where I stayed
I stayed at Drury Plaza Hotel. The hotel is beautiful especially after their huge renovation last year. The downside of this hotel is that it’s rumored to be haunted. A man caught his wife in bed with another man at the hotel. He shot and killed the two and shot himself. His spirit still haunts the building. He is usually active on the 5th floor but since the renovation, his activities have subsided.
If you can ignore the dark history of this hotel, you will enjoy all the great freebies! The hotel offers free buffet breakfast and dinner (plus 3 alcoholic drinks) daily. For breakfast, we had the basic eggs, sausage, bacon, and fruits to name a few. For kickback dinner hour (5:30-7:00), we were offered potatoes, mac & cheese, hot dogs, and chips. During check in, we were given a black card which allows guests to consume 3 alcoholic drinks that evening. The choices were wine, bud light, or a variety of different liquors. This place is definitely a great place to stay if you want to save money on food. Oh, and don’t skip the free popcorn in the lobby or the free sodas and coffees.
The hotel also offers free internet.
Getting Around
The Q-Line trolley is a free transportation that shuttles you around downtown Wichita. There are no labeled trolley stop signs but there are designated stops. If you see the trolley, flag them down and tell them where you want to go. They will drop you off to their nearest stop and direct you to your destination. They will tell you the place they will pick you up if you need a ride back.
The trolley comes by every 15 minutes from 6AM to 10PM M-Thurs or 6AM to Midnight Fri-Sat. No need to drive in the ice.
Where I Ate
Delano Barbeque Company is open during the hours of 11am to 2:30pm. How can a restaurant afford to be open only for a few hours? Maybe…their barbeque must be over the top delicious and everybody in Wichita probably knows it. I had to try it.
Delano’s menu has an impressive BBQ selection ranging from sandwiches, ribs, burgers, turkey, sausages, etc. I was overwhelmed by the selections but I noticed a lunch special menu behind the registers and decided to settle with one of those. I ordered the specialty sandwich, side & drink for $8.25. I ordered the Carolina style pull pork for my specialty sandwich and Cajan fries as my side. The food came out in minutes! Fast service! The portions were enormous! I only ate 1/4 of my sandwich before having to pack it to go. The pull pork was plain however, Delano provides different sauces at the table. I tried the bbq sauce with my pull pork and it was an explosion of flavors! The Cajan fries were perhaps the best fries I’ve ever had. My friends were picking from my plate because you can’t just have one!
Try it for yourself! Go to Delano.
To Do
It’s snowing in Wichita! The temperature is in the low 20sF. My gf and I decided to go to the Warren Theatres in downtown to stay away from the icy slicky concrete outside. We’ve talked to several locals and they suggested watching a movie there.
Warren Theatres serves food and drinks while you enjoy your film! We watched American Hustle and it only cost us $7, about $4.50 cheaper than a standard movie in California (not kidding). My friend and I walked towards our theater and we were given a menu and a wrist band to order alcoholic drinks. We took our seats. We browse the menu and when we were ready, we hit the red button located on our armrest. A server comes by, asked us what we would like and gave us the option to pay now or pay minutes before the movie ends. We didn’t want to be disturbed during our movie so we paid right away.
After the movie, our server is outside handing out mints for all attendees. It was a neat experience and the prices were affordable.
My 2nd visit to Wichita was quite pleasant and I’m glad it has changed my first impression of the city.
The Part Time Traveler 