For a different type of Christmas, I decided to spend the holidays in Union Station Kansas City. Christmas in a train station? Why not?! So I drove the 45 minutes there, in mid-December. This train station is like a mini-Disneyland. It has many places to explore and experience within. For this article, I will only highlight the Christmas events held in Union Station every year.
As Polar Express is my most favorite movie, I started at the theater downstairs. I noticed several large family groups, many in festive pjs. I spoke to a young woman who said her extended family has been coming to Union Station together to watch Polar Express for several years. It is their anticipated tradition. When the doors opened, I cozied down in a comfy chair, and was astounded when the movie began on their Extreme Screen, which is five stories tall! It magnifies tiny details I wouldn’t notice or couldn’t see on a television. I felt as if I was actually in the movie. It was so beautifully encompassing that it touched deeper emotions within me. When the face of a child came on the screen, I could see the clarity of the expression in their eyes. It was beyond any theater experience I have ever known. And to make it even better, I stopped at the Parisi Coffee Shop beforehand, and got a hot cocoa to enjoy during the show.
I then went upstairs to the enchanted Holiday Reflections. Guests enter through the ornament arc.
You will get your fill of the beauty of Christmas in this one place. I was mesmerized watching the euphoric faces of the children.
There are a variety of photo stations. They make perfect picture backgrounds for Christmas cards.
Children enjoy cruising in the miniature train, and riding in the virtual Santa sled.
I was filled to overflowing with the holiday spirit when I left that day. But I couldn’t get enough. So I returned later in the week.
Inside Union Station is an interior bridge, named the Link. You walk over the city, which affords vantage points with incredible views. It takes you to Crown Center, which offers shopping, restaurants, a live theater, and hotels.
Have you ever had moon cakes? They are my favorite delicacy. Inside Crown Center is Shang Tea. They make moon cakes fresh, with mostly organic ingredients. Lotus Seed is not only beyond delicious, but extraordinarily healthy. The Red Bean moon cake with dark chocolate has an unbelievably unique flavor. I slowly savor every bite. I give these as gifts, as I like to give distinctive items, rather than standard department store offerings. They are also great to bring with you if you are attending a holiday meal, and need to bring a food item to contribute. A friend, Marjorie, taught me to put them in the microwave for a few seconds. It warms and softens them, just like when they first came out of the oven. How did I never know this?! I do it now with all my baked goods, just before I eat them..
I returned for a third day to experience the holidays in Union Station, this time in the late afternoon. The softening sunlight and evening shades cast different highlights on the Christmas decorations throughout the train station. I dined at Pierponts, and enjoyed elegant ambiance and magnificent cuisine. I relished the steak tartare and the memories evoked of sharing this treat with my family, as a youth.
I give my heartiest of recommendations for you to spend Christmas in a train station! You will reap memories of the lasting kind inside Union Station Kansas City.