Where we live, where we go, and what we do there: Places mentioned or implied in The Proviso, Stay, We Were Gods, Lion’s Share, 1520 Main, and Twenty-Dollar Rag, and marked on the map.
NOTES:
Galleries are sorted south to north (with a couple of exceptions).
“South Kansas City” encompasses everything south of the Missouri River, but most especially everything south of the Country Club Plaza, and most especially especially everything south of the I-435 loop.
There is a city called North Kansas City, so we can’t say “north Kansas City” and be understood properly the way we can say “south Kansas City.” We say “Kansas City North” or “the Northland” instead.1
I tried to use an AI art generator for some of the images because they’re only in my head. For instance, there is an office building at 47th and Belleview, where I set Sebastian’s office building-cum-residence, but it’s a 1980s glass and dark granite extravaganza, which is not his thing. However, all my attempts sucked.
Hover for description.
This page is always a work in progress.
COUNTRY CLUB PLAZA DISTRICT
• Loose Park
• Countryside Neighborhood
• Sunset Hill Neighborhood
• West Plaza Neighborhood
• Country Club Plaza
• Nelson Atkins Museum of Art
• Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art
• Kauffman Memorial Garden
• UMKC Bloch School of Business,
School of Law,
Linda Hall Library of ScienceMIDTOWN
• Midtown
• Hyde Park
• WestportCROWN CENTER COMPLEX
• Westin Crown Center Hotel and Shops
• 2345 Grand
• Liberty Memorial
• Union Station
• Hospital HillDOWNTOWN
• Downtown
• River Market (formerly River Quay)NORTHLAND (WEST)
• Chouteau Woods
• The Coves
• Tiffany SpringsCHOUTEAU COUNTY
• Chouteau City
• River GlenNORTHLAND (EAST)
• Liberty
… is a shopping district in Kansas City, Missouri. The entire complex was built to replicate old Sevilla, Spain. It is rife with fountains, tile art, and shopping because, well, it is a shopping district. When you see the brass boar, rub its nose for luck. It was said Boss Tom Pendergast had people buried in the bottom of Brush Creek, but when it was rehabbed in the late 1990s, no bodies were found. So they say …
SPRING, SUMMER, FALL
LA GIRALDA TOWER, an exact one-quarter-size replica of the one in Sevilla.TIVOL JEWELERSTHE PLAZA SHOPSBOY AND FROGNEPTUNEPOMONACOURTYARD HOTELBRUSH CREEKMILL CREEK PARK FOUNTAINALLEN MEMORIAL FOUNTAINWILD BOAR OF FLORENCE
Rub its nose for luck!SEVILLE LIGHT FOUNTAINTHE TRIANGLE BUILDINGDIANA in front of the falls at the Intercontinental HotelCOURT OF THE PENGUINS FOUNTAINThe Plaza in the spring is beautiful.MILL CREEK PARK FOUNTAINThe Plaza in the fall is also beautiful.THE MERMAID FOUNTAIN47th & BROADWAY
•THE PROVISO – The Barnes & Noble where Giselle was working after her bookstore burned down, and one night, two hitmen came after her at closing time. They didn’t live to regret it.But of course there’s a Spanish flag on the Plaza. Why wouldn’t there be?!SISTER CITIES INTERNATIONAL BRIDGETHE RAPHAEL HOTEL
•THE PROVISO – Justice needed a makeover whether she wanted one or not, but Giselle made sure to make it good.CHINESE TERRACOTTA WARRIORS, located at the north entrance of the Sister Cities International BridgeTHE CLASSIC CUP CAFÉTHE TRIANGLE BUILDINGIn the 1980s, this corner was the entrance to a mall called Seville Square. I have a lot of wonderful Christmas memories here.SEVILLE LIGHT FOUNTAINTHE CLOCK TOWERLA GIRALDA TOWERPLAZA III STEAKHOUSE
•THE PROVISO – After Bryce’s and Giselle’s come-to-Jesus meeting in the Kauffman Garden parking lot, Giselle drove straight here, where they finally started to act like normal people. It’s not far from here to her and Sebastian’s home.THE CLASSIC CUP CAFÉ
•WE WERE GODS – Tess LaMontagne frequents this little outdoor café on Saturdays to be alone and decompress. Kelly attempted to arrange for Étienne to meet her there, but serendipity got in the way.BLOCH CANCER SURVIVORS PARK
•THE PROVISO – The end of an unexpectedly perfect weekend ended not so perfectly when Bryce informed Giselle he can’t have children and everything imploded for both of them.WEST PLAZA
•THE PROVISO – This is the corner where I set Sebastian’s home, but the 1980s granite and glass extravaganza is not his style. The AI image on the right is an okay approximation. I guess.
CHRISTMAS, “THE PLAZA LIGHTS”
On Thanksgiving night, the Plaza lights up for Christmas. There’s live music by local musicians, speeches by local names, a countdown to flipping the switch, then fireworks. It’s a beloved Kansas City tradition that dates back almost 100 years. Sebastian lives on West Plaza, and since he can see the entire Plaza from his east-facing windows, he doesn’t decorate for Christmas.
Kirkwood Hall at Christmas
•THE PROVISO – Fen’s exploratory senatorial fundraiser, where Giselle and
Sebastian wander around annoying Fen.Kirkwood Hall
•LION’S SHARE – Eric’s gubernatorial
campaign dinner, where Finn realizes just
how badly he messed up with Blythe.Kirkwood Hall
•THE PROVISO – Ford’s masterpiece
GODDESS AND HER LOVER hangs here.Kirkwood Hall
•THE PROVISO – Looking into Sculpture
Hall, where Giselle leads Bryce.Rozzelle Court
•THE PROVISO and LION’S SHARE –
People mingle and eat at Fen’s senatorial
fundraiser, Eric’s gubernatorial fundraiser, and
Giselle’s and Bryce’s “wedding.”Rozzelle CourtSculpture Hall
•THE PROVISO – Giselle leads Bryce to the
top of the staircase on her way to the Chinese
temple room.Sculpture Hall
•THE PROVISO – At the bottom of the
staircase, where Giselle makes the turn to
lead Bryce up to the Chinese temple room.Sculpture Hall
•THE PROVISO – Staircase up to the
European exhibits, where Giselle leads Bryce
up to the Chinese temple room.The Chinese Temple GalleryGUANYIN OF THE SOUTHERN SEA
(China, 11th–12th century) against
THE ASSEMBLY OF TEJAPRABHA
(China, 14th century)
•
THE PROVISO – The bodhisattva where
Giselle meditates—before Bryce undresses her
in front of it.A Barcelona ottoman
•THE PROVISO – There isn’t really one in
front of the bodhisattva, but hey, I write fiction.Bloch addition gallery garage entrance
•LION’S SHARE – The ramp up to the coat
check, where Blythe extols Finn’s virtues to Finn.Egyptian mummy exhibit
•LION’S SHARE – Finn confronts a past
lover and reads her the riot act for expecting
to pick up where they left off 5 years before.Kirkwood Hall
•LION’S SHARE – Giselle’s and Bryce’s 10th
anniversary renewal of vows, where Blythe and
Finn writhe in agony about not being able to
get married (even though they could). There
are A LOT more people here.European exhibitBloch addition modern art exhibitAmerican exhibitNative American exhibit
KEMPER MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART (1994)
Gunnar BirkertsCRYING GIANT (2002)
Tom OtternessSPIDER (1997)
Louise BourgeoisAtrium
•THE PROVISO – Where Ford’s masterpiece RAPE OF A VIRGIN is unveiled, and where Sebastian falls in love.
TWENTY-DOLLAR RAG – Where Vachel finds out whom he’s being paid to be arm candy, and promptly takes her shopping for a decent dress.
THE PROVISO – These walls are hung with Ford masterpieces.
THEIS PARK: The view from the top of the south face of the Nelson-Atkins Gallery.VOLKER FOUNTAINS across Brush CreekTHE PROVISO – Where Knox encourages Giselle to talk to Bryce and either get closure or get on the rollercoaster.The path from Theis Park into the Kauffman Garden parking lot (with the two children
my husband and I made)EWING AND MURIEL KAUFFMAN MEMORIAL GARDEN•THE PROVISO – Entrance to the parking lot where Giselle and Bryce finally started working out their issues.Kauffman Garden path into Theis ParkKauffman Garden entrance
•THE PROVISO – Bryce and Giselle didn’t actually go into the garden, but they’re lovely. You’re welcome.Kauffman Garden (and a little girl my husband and I made)Theis Park, as seen from inside Kauffman Garden
VOLKER CAMPUS 5115 Oak Street • Kansas City, MO 64112 BLOCH SCHOOL OF BUSINESS 5108 Cherry Street, Suite 102 • Kansas City, MO 64110 SCHOOL OF LAW 500 East 52nd Street • Kansas City, MO 64110 LINDA HALL LIBRARY OF SCIENCE 5109 Cherry Street • Kansas City, Missouri
Eilis earned her MBA at the Bloch School of Business Management. Giselle earned her PhD in 18th Century British literature, and her JD at the School of Law. Justice earned her BS in economics, and her JD at the School of Law. Knox teaches white collar crime at the law school. And … my current (2026) project involves Colleen Tharp, a librarian who works at the Linda Hall Library of Science in the conservation and restoration department, specializing in medieval and renaissance alchemy texts, and she’s about to find out what it’s like to fall in love with a ~420-year-old sorcerer.
One of two of the University of Missouri system’s urban campusesSWINNEY CENTEREPPERSON HOUSEMILLER-NICHOLS LIBRARYMILLER-NICHOLS LIBRARYKATZ HALLFINE ARTS BUILDINGROYALL HALLHAAG HALLCHERRY HALLCHERRY HALLFLARSHEIM HALLATTERBURY STUDENT SUCCESS CENTER
and PIERSON AUDITORIUMSCOFIELD HALLSCOFIELD HALLCOCKEFAIRE HALLBLOCH SCHOOL OF BUSINESS MANAGEMENTSCHOOL OF LAWLINDA HALL LIBRARY OF SCIENCE Hi, Colleen!
LION’S SHARE – “Bestie,” before. The AFTER lives only in my head.A Hyde Park houseLION’S SHARE – This is “Kemper Place,” which is really Janssen Place, hidden deep inside Hyde Park. It’s a gorgeous neighborhood, and is also where Blythe’s “One True Love” (which Finn calls “HH,” for “Haunted House”) lives.LION’S SHARE – “One True Love” aka “Haunted House” (HH)MIDTOWN: The old midcentury modern Katz Drugstore building, which is no longer there.MIDTOWN: Jeserich Building, built in 1888, also known as the Tower Building, lived at 31st & Main. Demolition began in late 2025.WESTPORT: The gateway to the west.WESTPORT
•THE PROVISO – Kelly’s bar, which still has steel rings mortared into the brick walls. I’ll let you think about why.
STAY – Where Eric challenged Sebastian to a drinking showdown for Vanessa’s honor.
WESTIN CROWN CENTER HOTEL AND SHOPS 2425 Grand Boulevard • Kansas City, MO 64112 UNION STATION 30 West Pershing Road • Kansas City, MO 64108 LIBERTY MEMORIAL 2 Memorial Drive • Kansas City, MO 64108
The Crown Center Complex is a multi-use area that includes shopping, convention, activity, transportation, healthcare, living, and office space. It encompasses the Crown Center Shops, the Westin Crown Center Hotel, Washington Square Park, the ice rink, Legoland, Hallmark Cards headquarters, Union Station, Liberty Memorial, the Lathrop & Gage building (2345 Grand) designed by Mies van der Rohe, the curved Western Auto building, the Hyatt Regency Hotel (yes, that Hyatt Regency, but it’s the Sheraton now), Hospital Hill (Truman Medical Center, Children’s Mercy Hospital). I have bigger plans for incorporating this area of town in future projects. Since Hallmark is headquartered in this area of town, you can probably guess where the “crown” came from. Yes, it was built by the Hall family. Every effort has been made to soften the brutalist architecture, but you know, there’s only so much you can do with brutalism. Ugh.
CROWN CENTER COMPLEX outside entertainmentCROWN CENTER SHOPS front entrance to a 4-story mall with a food court, a movie theater, and a stage theaterLooking from the front doors of the mall up at the Hallmark Cards buildingsThe fountains in the outside entertainment area, which were recently roped off against kids splashing. Assholes.MAYOR’S CHRISTMAS TREE: The lighting ceremony occurs the day after Thanksgiving.CROWN CENTER ICE TERRACEThe hotel, which brutalism could be worse. I guess.•LION’S SHARE – Where Blythe escapes to on Christmas night after her sister-in-law jumps down her throat.Overhead, looking northeast: ice terrace canopy (lower right), fountains (lower middle), Hallmark offices (stepped buildings middle right), random mid-1980s office building (left middle), 2345 Grand (far left), Sheraton (formerly Hyatt, behind random ’80s office building)Lathrop & Gage building designed by Mies van der Rohe, which will show up with the population of magical beings I’m building.WESTERN AUTO BUILDING, which is curved on one side. It’s all lofts, apartments, and condos now.WASHINGTON SQUARE PARKGeneral Washington, the titular Washington of Washington Square Park because duh of course.NATIONAL WWI MUSEUM AND MEMORIAL, also known as Liberty Memorial. It’s fundamentally the only WWI museum in the nation.The top of the Liberty Memorial Tower. The “flame” (not really—it’s steam and lighting effects) can be seen for miles.The Fourth of July here (and down the hill at Union Station) is a spectacle.UNION STATION, at the north foot of the Liberty Memorial hill in the 1940s, I believe (based on the cars).•1520 MAIN – This is how it would have looked in Trey and Marina’s time.The Union Station clock outsideUNION STATION FOYER with a restaurant and a bar up on the loft.•THE PROVISO – This is where the choir of Justice’s faith set up to play the night away.UNION STATION GRAND PLAZA
•THE PROVISO – Justice and Knox had their official balls’n’whistles wedding under this clock at the stroke of midnight, January 1, 2009.Union Station at Christmas is awesome also.HOSPITAL HILL, just east of Hallmark, as it was in the 1920s.
•1520 MAIN – This is where Dot and Gio took Ethel after Trey nearly killed her, and where Marina visited her until she was well enough to settle into a new home.HOSPITAL HILL: Truman Medical Center is a level 1 trauma center and where the metro area’s morgue is.•THE PROVISO – This is where Fen and Knox were taken when they died, where Justice and the rest of the Dunhams (save Giselle, Bryce, and Sebastian) gathered to mourn as if he might be rushed out of the morgue and into the O.R … oh, wait. In any case, it is ALSO where Trudy Hilliard put herself out of everybody else’s misery.MANNY’S MEXICAN RESTAURANT: It isn’t technically in the Crown Center Complex, but only by a block or two.•STAY – Eric had his first dinner (not really a date) with Vanessa and Vachel here. Much ice was broken and many walls were built.
And the pièce de résistance of the Crown Center Complex:
CITY HALL 414 East 12th Street • Kansas City, MO 64106
One Kansas City Place
•THE PROVISO and LION’S SHARE –
Kenard, PC occupies half the top four floors. Marston, PC occupies the other half of the top four floors.Lyric Theater
•THE PROVISO – Justice’s first outing into “society” at a performance of Carmina Burana, and subsequently got her first kiss—from Knox.Downtown Kansas CityThe Majestic Steakhouse: Steak, jazz, and whiskey for over 100 yearsThe façade of the parking garage of the Kansas City Public LibraryKansas City Public LibraryThe Power & Light District, which is pretty much just for partyingThe Kansas City Power & Light Building, all art deco and Pendergast concreteScarritt Building
•1520 MAIN Marina’s maiden name is Scarritt, which is a historic Kansas City name, along with Kemper, Hall, Kauffman, Hunt, among others.Midland TheaterJackson County Courthouse, Kansas City. Jackson County has two county seats. The other one is in Independence.The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, where I sometimes attend Midnight Mass.More Power & Light DistrictKauffman Center for the Performing Arts, which was deep in planning stages during THE PROVISO’s time.Mainstreet TheaterFolly TheaterThe Savoy [Grill]MUSE OF MISSOURI (1962)
Wheeler WilliamsNew York Life Building909 Walnut apartment buildingUNNAMED (1994)
R.M. Fisher
the sculptures on top of the pylons holding the roof of Bartle Hall upMuehlbach Hotel
•1520 MAIN – One of the places the “sweet tea” worked really, really well on Marina and won Trey the bet—but he wasn’t happy about it.Lane Blueprint at 1520 Main and is the titular 1520 MAIN. It was torn down in 2018.
3rd Street and Grand Boulevard • Kansas City, MO 64105
River Market is a quaint little neighborhood with unique shops, restaurants, spas, lofts, and a farmer’s market. Planter’s Spice and Seed Company stocks a wonderful selection of bulk herbs and spices, and it has lovely little pockets of green space. This is where Giselle had her bookstore, Decadence, sandwiched between a patisserie and a confectionery, run by her quasi-partners Coco and Maisy.
However, back in the day, which is to say, the 1970s, it was called River Quay. It was a mob hotspot, with bars and the X-rated Old Chelsea Theater. The River Quay was a place where, if you were found hogtied in the trunk of a car with a bullet in the back of your head, you obviously committed suicide. But that all came to an end when, in 1977, the place blew up. Giselle’s mother wouldn’t go near River Market and was distressed when she announced the location of her bookstore. She refused to explain why, but Dunham secrets don’t stay secret forever.
NORTH OF THE RIVER
“Chouteau” [Platte] Woods is a tiny little municipality in the middle of Platte County. These little pockets of municipalities are all over the Kansas City metro area. Generally, we are aware of them and refer to them properly just to orient ourselves on the map as to where something is. However, we also expand those pockets in our references to others. Eilis lives in Platte Woods proper. However, Knox, who lives on the other side of I-29, two miles as the crow flies, does not. His address is Kansas City. That said, if someone who knows the area weirdly referenced Knox as living in Platte Woods, it would only take a little clarification to pinpoint his location.
Knox lives in the very large subdivision called The Coves, just south of Barry Road. When I wrote The Proviso, there was a little unnamed street at the back of it with three houses that sat on about three acres each. I expanded that a little so that Knox lived on ten acres with a barn. That wasn’t far off. Now, it’s been developed into the same mid-upscale tract housing everywhere else has been, which disappoints me.
Further north is Tiffany Springs, which is not a municipality. It’s an area of office parks, car dealerships, hotels, and a convention center, as it’s near the airport. This is where HR Prerogatives is. In any case, I’ve consolidated that section of the northland into one Platte Woods gallery.
While we don’t differentiate the east and west sides of the Northland, there is a vast chasm between Platte Woods to the west (almost to Kansas) with KCI at the northwestern-most corner of the metro, and Liberty, to the east, which is the northeastern-most corner of the metro. Liberty is where the Lion’s Share characters started out and visited occasionally.
PLATTE WOODS CITY HALL 6750 NW Tower Drive • Platte Woods MO 64151
Platte Woods
• THE PROVISO – Eilis’s micro-municipalityPlatte Woods
• THE PROVISO – Eilis’s streetThe Coves
•THE PROVISO – Knox’s house at the back of the subdivision (2004), before developmentThe Coves
•THE PROVISO – Knox’s land at the back of the subdivision (2004), before developmentTiffany Springs:
• THE PROVISO – HR Prerogatives
Clay County Courthouse, Liberty. Clay County also has two county seats. The other one is in Gladstone.Liberty SquareWilliam Jewell College
•STAY – Where Eric thought Knox was going to send him to college, 30 miles all the way across the northland. Except, well, he ended up 1,100 miles away instead.LION’S SHARE – Blythe Hemming’s childhood home, where her parents still lived before her father lost his mind.LION’S SHARE – Darren Marston’s adolescent home, from which his father (Finn) moved after his mother (Miriam) died.LION’S SHARE – Darren & Blythe’s POS new construction where they lived while they went through hell until Darren’s freak death. Technically, this is Kansas City, but “Liberty” is the shorthand to natives.
EAST SIDE
There is some debate as to the exact definition of “the East Side,” as some people want to lump some of the Northeast neighborhoods with it, and some want to include parts far more southern. I always thought I grew up on the East Side (and thus, Sebastian and Giselle), but apparently, my neighborhood, Sheffield, is considered to be in Northeast. Who knew.
1520 MAIN – Trey’s, Marina’s, Dot’s, and Gio’s picnic was in the spring when the peonies were in full bloom.1520 MAIN – Armour Chapel, where Marina had wanted to get married—and did, but not under the best circumstances.
OUR PLACES
EAST SIDEPeter May’s House of Kielbasa (Polish sausage) has been around forever and ever. Somehow, Jason Kelce found this place (I was told he just browses holes in the wall and goes there), and well, you know, he has a bit of a connection to Kansas City. Anyway, apparently, business here has been booming.•THE PROVISO – Sebastian references this while he and Eilis are on their first date.NORTHEAST: Kansas City MuseumJAZZ 18th & VINE DISTRICT: Bryant’s Barbecue.
•THE PROVISO – Mentioned often, but Eilis directs Sebastian here on their first date, as a way to test his worthiness via barbecue sauce.JAZZ 18th & VINE DISTRICT: The Blue Room, Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, Gem TheaterMIDTOWN: Gates Barbecue
•WE WERE GODS and LION’S SHARE
This is generally where the Dunham family conducts its Deep Talks (Étienne and Bryce) and DIY Therapy Sessions (Finn and Bryce).MIDTOWN: West 39th Street, A cute little neighborhood with boho shops and cafés.COUNTRY CLUB PLAZA: Classic Cup
•WE WERE GODS – Tess comes here for alone time and self-care. Before Étienne could stalk her here, they ended up having a screaming match in the middle of Downtown.BROOKSIDE: A cute little neighborhood with chichi shops in the Country Club Plaza DistrictSOUTH KANSAS CITY: Tasso’s Greek Restaurant.
•THE PROVISO – Bryce’s favorite food, which Knox remembered, and where he convened the meeting to hash out about every issue they’d had since Bryce married his first wife.Inside Tasso’sSOUTH KANSAS CITY: Swope Park, Starlight TheaterRAYTOWN: OKH Enterprises
•THE PROVISO – The hub of the hub of the Dunham universe.RAYTOWN(ish): Truman Sports ComplexRAYTOWN(ish): Truman Sports Complex, “The K,” Home of the Royals (for now)RAYTOWN(ish): Truman Sports Complex, Arrowhead Stadium, Home of the Chiefs (and, apparently, Taylor Swift) (for now)NORTHLAND: Kansas City LDS temple
1. To annoy me, my husband, who is originally from southern California calls everything south of Gladstone “Downtown.” He also says things like “the I-35.” He’s been here 23 years. He knows better. He also has regrettable taste in barbecue sauces. I don’t feel he can be blamed for this.
Not quite sure what you mean by there’s not enough subtext in the pirates, but to me, that’s just a simple love story. Not a whole lot of philosophy going on.
Proviso is my favorite so far, especially Giselle and Bryce.
Yes, I knew she was visiting the Kwan Yin in the Nelson — I’ve been there myself.
A followup to my favorites in Proviso would be welcome.
By contrast, the pirates are tough going — not enough subtext.
Not quite sure what you mean by there’s not enough subtext in the pirates, but to me, that’s just a simple love story. Not a whole lot of philosophy going on.