Wichita: Practicalities
Domestic flights arrive at the Mid-Continent Airport (tel 316/946-4700), five miles southwest of downtown on Hwy-54 (W Kellogg Drive). Amtrak stops at Newton, a small Mennonite town 25 miles north, with a local bus connection to Wichita throughout the day; Greyhound comes in to 312 S Broadway Ave, two blocks east of Main Street. City transportation consists of buses (WMTA; tel 316/265-7221; $1 per ride), and, more appealingly, trolleys , which run at lunchtimes and on Saturdays for just 50¢. The resourceful CVB is in the heart of downtown at Douglas Avenue and Main Street (Mon-Fri 8am-5pm; tel 316/265-2800 or 1-800/288-9424, ). An additional information office is housed in the Wichita Boathouse at 335 W Lewis St (daily 9am-5pm; tel 316/337-9088). City trolley tours ($8) depart from here Mon-Sat at 10am. You can surf the web at the Wichita Public Library, 223 S Main St.Budget l odgings in Wichita are plentiful, especially near the airport on W Kellogg Drive - try the Ramada at no. 6245 (tel 316/945-5261; $50-75). On the opposite flank of the city is a good Fairfield Inn at 333 S Webb Rd (tel 316/685-3777; $50-75). The Hotel at Oldtown , at First and Mosley streets (tel 316/267-4800; $100-200) has a stylish turn of-the-century flavor and perfect location. In the east is the Mainstay Suites , 9444 E 39th St (tel 316/631-3773; $75-100), comfortable and self-contained. Blasi Campground , 11209 W Hwy-54 (tel 316/722-2681), offers tent sites ($17) nine miles from town.
Until recently considered just another boring Midwestern city, life has come to downtown Wichita. There is suddenly a hoard of new restaurants, clubs and bars around the quaint Old Town Marketplace such as the River City Brewing Co , 150 N Mosley St (tel 316/263-2739), which has good Kansas steaks, locally brewed beer and veggie pasta dishes. If you are here on Saturday morning the Wichita Farm and Art Market Plaza is a good place to pick up fresh produce. There's great sandwiches and Southwestern food at the Old Mill Tasty Shop , by the railroad tracks at 604 E Douglas Ave (tel 316/264-6500), complete with marble soda fountain. Or you can dip into one of the thirteen Pizza Huts around town, including one with a café at 7700 E Kellogg Drive (tel 316/683-1311); the chain started here in 1958. The Brickyard at 129 N Rock Island St (tel 316/263-4044) is an American-style restaurant with a huge patio where rock, jazz and blues bands perform most nights; while the biggest discotheque is America's Pub , at 900 E 1st St (tel 316/267-1782).
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