The show we visited at the Nelson was John Steuart Curry: Inventing The Middle West.

There was also a 20-year Print Retrospective showing. My favorite painting, John the Baptist by Carravaggio is out on loan, but I enjoyed seeing the wonderful Impressionists gallery again (especially Monet's enormous Waterlilies panel, two Mary Cassatt's, a Gauguin and a Van Gogh). The American collection of art, with work by George Caleb Bingham, Raphael Peale, Andrew Wyeth, John Steuart Curry, Grant Wood and Thomas Hart Benton, are always worth a trip upstairs.

The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art has been a leader in the Kansas City art community for more than 60 years. It is internationally known for its fabulous Oriental collection. The building is classically styled and the sweeping grounds are home to a collection of Henry Moore sculpture and four  giant shuttlecocks by Claes Oldenburg and Cooje van Bruggen.

The Nelson-Atkins is open every day of the week except Mondays. The Rozzelle Court Restaurant serves lunch and features dinner and live jazz on Friday nights.