Aubrey’s Kansas City Adventures Discover the new through the old in the historic West Bottoms. BY AUBREY MAKAR A&E COLUMNIST
West of Downtown Kansas City, underneath the I-670 highway lies the West Bottoms. It is an industrial area by downtown Kansas City, Missouri, at the junction of the Missouri River and the Kansas River. The buildings and streets have been worn through the years and the somewhat crumbling foundations emits the effect of a truly vintage area. Every first weekend of the month, antique shops set up in the old buildings to share their findings with
the city. The historic buildings scattered throughout the West Bottoms show the progression of the city through the decrepit foundations of the individually unique architecture. Even on the days when the antique collection is not showing, there is plenty to explore of the West Bottoms from restaurants to other shopping experiences. My mom is usually the one to take me to the West Bottoms on the first weekend of the month to check out the new features of the shops. Our favorite is Bella Patina because my mom’s friend is one of the owners of the shop. But there are a lot of other good shops including Good JuJu and Stuffology. The antique shops have a lot of diverse items, from Kansas City themed shirts displaying the Royals
to a rustic gun that we can only hope hasn’t actually killed anyone. My last trip I was able to find an antique eye chart that I immediately hung up in my room. It continues to remind me that I should be wearing my glasses more than I usually do. Stepping inside each of the shops is a different experience except for one common thread; that distinct smell of entering “grandma’s house.” Many of the shops have multiple floors, and use up every inch of floor space that they can. It becomes a treasure hunt to discover the best things to add to your own collection of findings. Antique hunting sounds like something your grandma might try to trick you into doing with her, but the shops in the West Bottoms have a unique and appealing allure to them. The assortment of small treasures make it worth the trip.
(Photos by Aubrey Makar) And it’s not just antiques that are sold in the West Bottoms. Many local artists sell their work at the Kansas City-themed shops. All around there is a lot of Kansas City pride, and that’s another one of the reasons that I love the West Bottoms. Even if it isn’t the first weekend of the month, the West Bottoms will not disappoint.
West Bottoms Musts: Go on Saturday for food trucks Get there early for free parking Bring a big car for furniture finds
Malala Movie Inspires Through Relatable Stories
“He Named Me Malala” presents a down-to-earth child. Guggenheim chooses not to place as much emphasis on her view of accomplished activist. BY NATALIE SOPYLA FEATURES EDITOR
While describing how hard her new school in England is, Malala Yousafzai removes a folder from her bookshelf to prove it. She sheepishly shows a recent physics test to the camera, pointing out the grade: 67 percent. Even Malala Yousafzai isn’t perfect. It is these mundane moments that give “He Named Me Malala” a sentimental quality, allowing the extraordinary star to become more accessible to viewers. This film is a must see for anyone who has ever complained about going to school. It will immediately put things into perspective for those who take their education for granted. The documentary, directed by Davis Guggenheim (“An Inconvenient Truth,” “Waiting for Superman”), presents a look at the life and work of now 18-year-old Yousafzai following her attack by the Taliban in October of 2012. It isn’t a biography in the traditional sense, as the only images we see from Yousafzai’s early life are from a few family photographs and old television clips of teenage Malala speaking. Yet the places where the movie was lacking in biographical footage were filled with animated sketches. These animations provided a look at the life of the family in Pakistan’s Swat Valley under Taliban rule, through the simple and colorful viewpoint of a young
attack, but rather Malala’s seemingly predestined path of advocacy. What is most emphasized is how Malala’s name, given to her by her father, originates from the story of a Pashtun girl who rallies the despondent armies of Afghanistan and leads them in an attack on the British forces, only to die on the battlefield. Malala credits her father Ziauddin Yousafzai, a teacher and fellow advocate for education, for fostering her own love for education. Their fierce loyalty and love for each other is seen in various tender moments throughout the film, another aspect that makes the life of Malala seem much more relatable to viewers. “He Named Me Malala” is an inspiring look at Malala’s life from a more relaxed, less stifled perspective. While the sequence of events is somewhat scattered and not always in chronological order, it is not hard to follow the story. In fact, her life story isn’t important for biographical purposes; it is more important for the reason that it brought Malala to where she is today, and is why Malala advocates for girls’ education. The moments when Malala is seen at home teasing her brothers and teaching her father how to use Twitter give the film a down-to-earth quality that will appeal to almost any viewer. This film will make viewers regret any time they ever took their schooling for granted.
// ENCOURAGING
BET YOU
DIDN’T KNOW...
Malala first thought the Taliban looked like vampires from Twilight, one of her favorite books at the time.
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Malala retook a test 3 times to prove her father, the owner of her school, didn’t favor her. (Info via salon.com and picture via MCT Campus)
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