Last night we were invited to a blogger event at the brand new AMC Mainstreet Theater.  While the theater doesn’t officially open until May 1st, this was an invitation-only tour that covered the history, the features, and a special screening of Valkyrie The Brothers Bloom (they switched it at the last minute as a surprise sneak preview, great flick!).

AMC Mainstreet initially opened in 1921 and went through various renovations until finally closing in 1984.  It sat closed, abandoned, and crumbling as it awaited it’s eventual demolished fate as a parking lot until AMC came to the rescue in 2005 and began renovations.  If you’ve been to any events at the Midland Theater (another AMC renovation project), you’ll already be familiar with the impressive blend of modern contemporary design while also staying true to the buildings history.  Also, our tour guide emphasized AMC’s focus on “green” architecture from the beginning.  Everything from the carpet, walls, and seats are mostly made out of material that is recycle friendly and the paint is air-quality friendly.

So of my favorite features

• Rumble seats – Every seat in all 6 theaters are “rumble seats”, meaning they actually vibrate with the sound in the movie.  A great scene in Brothers Bloom last night was when Bloom & Penelope are riding in a train during a thunderstorm, and you can actually feel the “clickity clack” of the train rumbling on the tracks as well as every burst of thunder going on outside.  It’s really a remarkable experience.
• Seat reservation – Gone are the days of showing up 45 minutes before an opening just to ensure you don’t have to sit in the front row.  You can now either call or reserve online any seat in any of the theaters that you like.
• Concessions & service – You of course have the standard concession stands, but the neat thing about AMC Mainstreet is the “Flavorwall” which consists of ~30 different types of soft drinks, flavors, and seasonings for your popcorn.  I’ve never seen anything like it outside of a Quicktrip.
• Cinema Suites – These are the 4 theaters upstairs that seat anywhere from 25-65 people.  Every seat is a recliner and a tray on a pivot to place your food & drinks on.  These seats also come with full service from their waiting staff.  Need a refill on your Sam Adams?  push the little red button next to your seat and they’ll be out to take your order within a few moments.  The menu consists of about 40 different items ranging from beer & wine, to appetizers, entrees, desserts (cookies & milk!), and snacks.  Prices were standard for a mid-range restauant ($10 entree, $7 appetizers, etc…)
• Parking – While any downtown area will have issues when it comes to parking, AMC Mainstreet helps us out a little bit by providing 3 hour validation parking in the parking garage 1.5 blocks away in the Constantino’s garage.  Watch out though, it’s $1 for every 20 minutes afterwards.
• Marquee Bar & Grill – At the entrance to the theater you’ll also see the Marquee Bar & Grill, a full service restarant that serves entrees and (adult) beverages and on the weekends will stay open as late as 5am serving food.

I’m certain you’ll find many sources of media out there if you search on flickr, youtube, twitter, etc… under the tag “amcmain”.  Here’s a great video from Ramsey Mohsen.

Many thanks to AMC for hosting an event for us and we’re looking forward to frequenting the new AMC Mainstreet as much as possible!

Looks like it is that time of year again for the annual 2007 Kansas City Urban Housing Tour, which will be occurring on May 5th & 6th. For those that haven’t heard of it before, it is a weekend filled with activities and tours focusing on the urban housing market. If you are looking at either renting or buying in the KC area, this is a must see event as you can cram in an entire month’s worth of real estate/rental shopping in a matter of a couple days.

Sadly, I’ll miss the tour once again this year. Last year I was in Cancun, this year, I’ll be in Chicago. But, I already bought my downtown loft, so it’s probably better that I stay away from looking at all the shiny new projects that I’ll be jealous of.

More information on the event can be found on the downtownKC.org website.

The semi-annual Kansas City Crawl for Cancer is coming up, and let me tell you, it is one of the funnest times you won’t remember that you can have in your life! It is essentially about 50 teams of ~10 people who meet up in westport on a Saturday at about noon, the you hit up 5 bars, getting 4 pitchers at each until your team is done with all 20 pitchers, they you go to the Beaumont club for all-you-can-drink beer, and there’s not one sober person in sight.

So do yourselves a favor, get some friends together, have a blast, and raise some money for charity! This event fills up pretty quickly every spring & fall, so sign up early!

For more information or to register, visit the Crawl for Cancer website.

Charities this event benefits:
- American Cancer Society
- Hope on the Hill
- FLHW Foundation
- Ozanam
- Safe Home
- Sheffield Place
- Positive Changes

Hmm…. might be time to start planning a MAX pubcrawl.

Get out, stretch your legs, raise some money for charity!

AIDS Walk Kansas City, presented by the AIDS Service Foundation of Greater Kansas City, is a 3.5 mile walk to benefit those living with HIV/AIDS in Kansas City. With each step, our walkers, their supporters, donors and sponsors help local AIDS service organizations to provide nutrition, shelter, medical care and emergency services to those living and at risk for HIV/AIDS.

AIDS WALK 2007 marks the 19th year in which individuals, family and friends have come together to go the distance in the fight against HIV/AIDS in our home town. We hope you will join us with heart and sole!

For more information, visit our website at aidswalkkansascity.org or call 816-931-0959.

Website

There is also homes tour a few weeks before and a friend of mine has generously offered to show her house on the tour. So if you’d like to see an awesome Union Hill loft style townhome along with a bunch of other homes in the Union Hill area, please shoot Lisa an email at lmpku@hotmail.com. Lisa’s home was shown on HGTV a few years back, you can see the clip here

Union Hill Homes Tour
April 13th, 2007 6PM-10PM

8PM-12AM-after party celebration at the Home of Mike Enis
Specials at Martini Corner to follow

$35 Minimum donation is your admission for all 11 homes, beverages and food.
Silent Auction at the Greenlease Cadillac Building 6PM-8PM