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BBQ, Mexican, pizza: RideKC’s shuttles have fans covered with special NFL Draft routes

RideKC will offer special NFL Draft service that will take fans to Kansas City’s East and West side for a quick trip to restaurants and museums in the area.
RideKC will offer special NFL Draft service that will take fans to Kansas City’s East and West side for a quick trip to restaurants and museums in the area. Kansas City Area Transportation Authority

Two special NFL Draft shuttle routes will offer hungry and curious football fans rides to some of Kansas City’s best restaurants, cultural and historical spots, the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority announced Thursday.

RideKC will be running routes to Kansas City’s East and West sides from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Thursday and Friday and 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday. The free shuttles will run approximately every 30 minutes.

Interested in Mexican food? Take the West Side shuttle, which runs along Southwest Boulevard from north of Union Station to 31st Street, passing Mexican restaurants along the boulevard. Some of the other highlights include Boulevard Brewing Co., Ponak’s and Minsky’s Pizza.

If barbecue and jazz is more your speed, take the East Side shuttle through the Crossroads Entertainment District to the 18th & Vine Historic District, including two famous barbecue places — Arthur Bryant’s and Gatest Bar-B-Q. Other highlights along the route include the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, the American Jazz Museum and the Black Archives of Mid America.

The shuttles can be tracked in real time by downloading the Transit mobile app to a cellphone. The routes are named NFL1 for the East Side shuttle and NFL2 for the West Side shuttle.

East Side Stops:

  • Gates — 12th Street at Brooklyn Avenue
  • Arthur Bryant’s —Brooklyn at 18th Street

  • 18th at Euclid Avenue
  • 18th at Woodland Avenue
  • 18th at Highland Avenue
  • Historic District — 18th at Vine Street

  • 18th Between The Paseo and Grove Street
  • 18th at Forest Avenue
  • Brewers’ Alley — 18th at Oak Street (special shuttle stop)

  • East Crossroads — 18th at Grand Boulevard (special shuttle stop)

  • Streetcar— Walnut Street, between 18th and 19th Street (special shuttle stop)

West Side Stops

  • Minsky’s — Southwest Boulevard at 31st Street

  • Ponak’s —Southwest Boulevard at 29th Street

  • Boulevard Brewing - Southwest Boulevard at 27th Street
  • Southwest Boulevard at 25th Street northbound
  • Southwest Boulevard at Summit Street eastbound
  • Southwest Boulevard at Baltimore Avenue
  • Southwest Boulevard at Central Street (special shuttle stop)
Special RideKC shuttles will offer rides to fans attending the NFL Draft 2023 to some of Kansas City’s best restaurants, cultural and historical spots, the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority announced.
Special RideKC shuttles will offer rides to fans attending the NFL Draft 2023 to some of Kansas City’s best restaurants, cultural and historical spots, the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority announced. Kansas City Area Transportation Authority

For more information on other routes during the draft, see RideKC’s NFL Draft Updates.

Follow More of Our Reporting on 2023 NFL Draft in Kansas City

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Robert A. Cronkleton
The Kansas City Star
Robert A. Cronkleton is a breaking news reporter for The Kansas City Star, covering crime, courts, transportation, weather and climate. He’s been at The Star for 36 years. His skills include multimedia and data reporting and video and audio editing. Support my work with a digital subscription
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