BIRD. The newest way to scoot around Kansas City.
A day exploring downtown just got so much easier. Dotted around the city, you’ll find BIRD, a dockless scooter sharing program that allows riders to find, unlock and pick up nearby scooters using a dedicated smartphone app. After cruising, riders can easily hop off to park their scooter by street curbs or bike racks whenever they decide their ride is over. Scooters are just $1 and charge 15 cents per minute.
When I heard about the new addition to downtown I was instantly excited because I had seen these mystical scooters in the streets of San Diego and Denver. I couldn’t wait to hop on one of these bad boys myself. It didn’t take long for me to plan an adventure with a few of my girlfriends. With so many insta-worthy spots popping up all over town it was hard to narrow down our itinerary.
Here’s our exact scooter schedule (Psst: It’s totally cool if you copy us!)
Thou Mayest Coffee
419 E. 18th St.
All photos courtesy of Kirsten Myers
We met at 10am so kicking off our adventure at a coffee shop sounded pretty stellar. There are plenty of scooters in the crossroads so we knew it’d be a great place to meetup. The multi-story coffee house is always buzzing in the morning with good vibes. It has a cozy, rustic theme with plenty of areas to work or lounge. They have several in-house blends to choose from + an array of yummy pastries.
Hutch
1735 Locust St.
Hutch.
Every single gal in my crew was really looking forward to stopping by Hutch. A new 2,500-square-foot space dedicated to furniture, design and greenery. The inside is total goals. A modern-boho dream. You’ll find BluDot furniture, candles, pillows, lamps, goods from Midwest-based artisans and loads of plants. We spent most our time gushing over the décor display areas and I basically had to be dragged away from the succulent arrangements. With so many cute plant pots, how is a girl to choose?
Made in KC
509 E. 18th St.
Made in KC Crossroads.
Since we were literally a rock throw away, we decided to pop over to Made in KC to say hello. We browsed inside and then popped outside to utilize their cute outdoor space (complete with ivy wall + string lights) for a few pictures.
East + West
828 Grand Blvd.
East + West.
For our next stop, we cruised down to shop for our guys at East + West. A men’s store that focuses on brands manufactured in the U.S., Canada and Europe with an emphasis on durability and value. East + West took part of the former Bob Jones Shoes warehouse space and gives off an urban/rustic vibe.
RAYGUN
1803 Baltimore Ave.
RAYGUN.
A fieldtrip downtown wouldn’t be complete without stopping by RAYGUN. The shop designs unique t-shirts, koozies, coasters, notebooks, posters, stickers, postcards, buttons, keychains, and magnets, some of which are printed in-store, while others are outsourced around the Midwest. It’s a great spot to buy gifts for friends or for yourself.
Messenger Coffee
1624 Grand Blvd.
Mural by Abby Yemm.
Okay, so we never actually went inside Messenger Coffee but we popped out back to take pictures in front of their cute new garage mural by @abbyyemm.
Freestyle Poke
509 Delaware St.
Freestyle Poké.
After cruising the city for a while, we got hungry so we scooted on down to the River Market to check out the new Freestyle Poke. This KC hotspot serves up Hawaiian-style poke bowls made with fresh ingredients. Not a seafood lover? Don’t worry, they have other meat and vegetarian options available too. Take my tip and do half quinoa half zoodles for your base – you won’t regret it.
Overall, I'm a very nostalgic person. Riding scooters around town with my best girlfriends was a freaking blast. It brought me back to my childhood days when I’d take off on my bike in the morning and not return home until the evening—that old fashioned kind of fun. A time when we were untethered from our phones and unable to check in with our parents.
To keep BIRD in our city, it’s important to follow the rules:
Noo riding scooters on sidewalks
Be respectful of traffic and the streetcar
Leave scooters in appropriate areas
Follow the one person per scooter rule
Scooters aren’t allowed on the Country Club Plaza.
Happy scooting!
Pick up our Bird-excursion essentials online or in-store at Made in KC!
