A look at Lawrence, Kansas ...one of the Top 10 College towns in America. I'm a big city girl (Houston, Texas) but have always been fascinated by small towns. I don't want to just blitz pass them on the Interstate going 70 miles an hour, I want to see their main street... where the townspeople go .... how they live their lives.
Lawrence, founded in 1874, is said to be one of the few US cities founded for political reasons .... to keep the territory free from slavery. Home to the University of Kansas (the Kansas Jayhawks), its first coach, James Naismith was the inventor of basketball. With just over 90,000 in population, the town has the energy of a growing college town while remaining close to its roots in small town middle America.
While in Lawrence for our annual trek to a KU Football game (nothing like fall and college football!) I went to one of my favorite main streets.... Massachusetts Street.
At any time, the street is bustling with college students as well as the local residents, but on game weekends, the street is filled with red and blue and Jayhawk energy. The stores come alive with Jayhawk paraphanalia , including T-shirts, mugs, hats, and the Jayhawk mascot.
Long time fixture is Ernst & Son... a hardware store dating back 3 generations, which still has the original cash register, hardwood floors, and enough tools, gadgets, and nails to make inventory a nightmare. Located at 826 Massachusetts Street it's the place to go for some nostalgia and any gadgets you may need for your home.
Down the block and across the street is Weavers Department Store, around for more than 150 years. Along the way are coffee shops and restaurants with cuisine from burgers and bbq to various ethnic specialties, one-of-a-kind gift shops, book stores, home specialty stores, small boutiques and of course Jayhawk specialty stores.
If you're in the Midwest stop by Lawrence and set your GPS for Massachusetts Street!
(I have more photos but have experienced Proxy Errors. My apologies)
