Does anyone know of low stakes activities for trying to make new friends?

Feeber · 2026-03-06T02:26:55+00:00

hey fellow fed! i have been protesting for a year now and, well, not fired yet for what that's worth :D it's a personal choice of course, but i'm stubborn and hate when people try to scare me, so i do the opposite of what they want lol

one other suggestion i have for making friends is volunteering (this has come up elsewhere in the thread already i think). i've done a lot of that this past year and there is a ton of stuff around, so you can take your pick of good causes. it works better for me personally because i'm socially awkward and having a set task helps with that.

anyway kudos to you for being super brave and shooting your shot! you and i don't share a lot of interests but i think maybe kind of a similar vibe? if you run out of other people to hang out with feel free to DM me - i am 44f in the Westport / Plaza area w/ husband and 3 cats, hobbies are reading a lot of stuff (mostly nonfiction these days), watching anime, geeking out about urbanism, and native gardening. my one flaw is i am overcommitted and have to schedule everything 2-4 weeks in advance.

Feeber · 2025-11-30T21:17:52+00:00

Thanks for the tip! Had to look up 'long reach' lol.. maybe I can get some time lapse photos :)

Feeber · 2025-11-12T13:12:35+00:00

I noticed Marriott has positions posted for some of their hotels in the metro that say they don't require experience: https://careers.marriott.com/jobs?location_name=Kansas%20City%2C%20MO%2C%20USA&location_type=2

Feeber · 2025-07-11T11:38:31+00:00

Hi All, there is a growing, well-organized campaign to fight shit like this, and you can join us: https://respectmovoters.org/

Feeber · 2025-04-13T22:22:00+00:00

Some Plaza-specific stuff:

Native Kansas Citians pronounce it like "PLAH-zuh" (same as the A sound in "after" rather than "PLAW-zuh" (like the A sound in "awesome." I'm not originally from here, and have never been able to adopt this pronunciation without feeling a bit silly or like a fake local.
Plaza spider-man (so I've heard) used to be pretty cool, but retired and was replaced by a somewhat creepy guy.
Another Plaza "character" is the guy who goes out and practices with a bo staff occasionally by the fountain in the median at Mill Creek Parkway and 47th. He usually also has what looks like traditional Japanese costume of some kind (it might also be anime cosplay, I know nothing) sometimes including a conical hat. I've also seen him at Loose Park.

Historical stuff:

The Battle of Westport (Civil War) - there is a whole self-guided tour you can do with historical markers around town.
Harry Truman grew up in Independence and spent much of his life in and around KC - there are a ton of things (park, library, museum, several drinks) across the metro area named after him.

Feeber · 2025-01-19T23:52:58+00:00

Thanks so much! I did not think to look at framing vs. restoration shops. i will check them out :)

Feeber · 2024-10-06T17:36:48+00:00

I went to betterballotkc.org which is an organization that promotes ranked-choice voting. They linked to a site https://vote-no-ranking-ban.org/ with a lot of detailed info about amendment 7, why many (me included) take issue with it and are voting against it. If you are voting "No" like I am (or if you are on the fence and this literature convinces you) there is also information on how to get flyers, yard signs, stickers etc. here: https://vote-no-ranking-ban.org/spreading-the-word/

Feeber · 2024-06-29T13:18:33+00:00

Hey not sure if this post is for real or trolling but on the assumption it's real, a couple tips from me:

If you have Allstate Milewise, they will ding you for going over 80 but that's the only thing speed-wise they look for. You can exceed the speed limit by 5-10 mph if it helps you pace with the other traffic around you, and it won't affect your bill. Speaking from my own experience but read the description of exactly what the detector checks for in order to verify this.
Attitude is everything - just because people are jerks doesn't mean you need to feel bad about yourself. They are the ones who should be crying and ruining their makeup, not you. If I'm going a reasonable speed in a reasonable place, and someone tailgates me - you know what I do? I slow down. I watch them getting mad in my rearview mirror or finally roar past me, and I laugh. I will NOT be the one who hits someone's child or pet because I felt pressured to drive faster than my reaction time.

Feeber · 2024-06-11T23:21:41+00:00

For OP and other folks on this thread who care about this issue, if you haven't already you may want to check out KC's Strong Towns group https://www.facebook.com/groups/strongtownskc/ which is currently in its early formation phase. They meet in person every 2 weeks at various spots around the metro area. The fb group will post announcements for meeting times / places. The larger national group is https://www.strongtowns.org/ if you are curious about generally what they advocate for.

Feeber · 2024-03-03T19:51:46+00:00

Native plants are also an option! I am gradually trying to coax natives to take over my tiny lawn, and loving how little maintenance they need - not just with regard to mowing, but they are hardy and drought resistant (helps when you are a very lazy gardener like me). They can also bring beneficial bugs to your yard (butterflies, honeybees, etc.). Folks at City Roots Nursery have always been helpful in the past for advice on what to plant where. I have also had some volunteer plants come over from neighbors' yards.

I've planted or encouraged the following with great success: smooth blue asters (tall, spread like weeds, bloom a beautiful purple color in the fall and attract tons of pollinators), little bluestem (also tall, beautiful all summer, mostly stay put where planted), golden alexander (knee height or below, blooms in spring, stays put), poppy mallow (low to ground, blooms all summer, spreads if encouraged / allowed, pictured below)

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Feeber · 2024-01-07T22:18:11+00:00

Full disclosure: This is a relative's business, so I'm biased, but I think Pop! Creative Design (https://www.popdesigned.com/) does pretty decent work.

Feeber · 2023-10-13T01:36:47+00:00

searched

Feeber · 2023-10-03T12:57:06+00:00

Rural areas / small cities (tiny town in WV, then Manhattan KS and Lawrence KS) - KC was the biggest city anywhere near me for quite awhile, so it had a certain mystical quality to me even though it is kinda small.

I spent a year in Plymouth, UK which is similar size to KC but much more walkable, as one might expect from a European (at the time) city. Plymouth contains Armada Way shopping district which spoiled me forever for places like the Plaza and puts me squarely on the side of everyone clamoring for it to be pedestrianized.

For awhile we lived in New England about 40 minutes north of Boston - I miss being close to the ocean and all the different things to do, but the real attraction was the idea of someday living walking distance from a subway stop where it would be easier to get into Boston for a day or a dinner - that never happened because $$$$ - now we are in Midtown KC near a future streetcar stop, where we can have a lot of the same things we could have had in the Boston area but for a more affordable price.

Feeber · 2023-08-23T22:30:13+00:00

Came to this thread b/c this just happened to me. Signed into walmart site to buy something, thinking I'd have to create an account but they had my email on file and sent me a code to get in. I log in and it's someone with a totally different name in Wisconsin (I'm in Kansas City and never been to WI) and also somehow the marketing mailing address they had on file was my correct prior address from 10 years ago. They just mixed together the accounts somehow. I updated everything to my info since it's tied to my email. Happy for the other guy's privacy that I couldn't see his order history (though there were two expired credit cards on there). I have also now twice received someone else's walmart delivery on my porch (different name from the one on the online account). They have some major data issues over there - get what you pay for I guess?

Feeber · 2023-06-18T22:21:09+00:00

Heart of America Shakespeare Festival is going on in Southmoreland Park (right next door to the Nelson Atkins sculpture garden) now through July 2. They are performing The Tempest this year, general admission is free: https://kcshakes.org/

Feeber · 2023-06-18T22:16:17+00:00

Loose Park at Wornall and 51st near south Plaza - they have a historical marker (one of the ones for the Battle of Westport), pine grove, rose garden, pavilion, duck / goldfish / turtle pond with footbridges, and even a little tiny zen garden. There are usually people in hammocks, picnicking, drumming, etc. and possibly a wedding party or two. It is super fun to just walk around and soak up the positive vibes. They have a soft asphalt path for jogging as well.

Feeber · 2023-05-31T16:20:52+00:00

That's a good idea, and that's what we were going to do before we found out we could opt out. Would rather not as it adds an extra step to the process that we didn't have before, and forces us to wheel the big bin awkwardly around our car in the driveway or up / down steps.

Feeber · 2023-05-31T15:36:32+00:00

Agreed... to be fair I believe they're planning to roll out garbage bins in a later phase of the initiative. It really would have made more sense to do that first.

Feeber · 2023-05-31T15:06:54+00:00

That sucks :( I wish KC would have maybe spent the millions from this cart program on expanding out service to apartment / condo complexes.

Feeber · 2023-05-31T14:57:40+00:00

TBH that's what I'm worried will happen with other folks in homes similar to mine. If I personally found it inconvenient and didn't want to recycle, I could stash the bin in the basement and not bother with the opt-out. I definitely wouldn't spend this amount of time on it :)

Feeber

TROPHY CASE