The Country Club Plaza (often referred to as The Plaza) is an American upscale shopping district and residential neighborhood in Kansas City, Missouri. It was the first shopping center in the world designed to accommodate shoppers arriving by automobile. The 55-acre (223,000 m²) site is about four miles (6.44 km) south of downtown, between 45th and 51st streets to the north and south and between Broadway and Madison Street to the east and west. The Kansas state line is one mile (1.6 km) to the west. Established in 1922 by J. C. Nichols and designed architecturally after Seville, Spain, the Plaza comprises high-end retail establishments, restaurants, and entertainment venues, as well as offices. The neighborhoods surrounding the Plaza consist of apartment buildings and upscale houses, especially those of the Country Club District built along Ward Parkway on the Plaza's southern and southwestern side. The Country Club Plaza is named in the Project for Public Spaces' list 60 of the World's Great Places.
In 1925, a tradition began with a single strand of 16 colored lights placed above a doorway in the Country Club Plaza to celebrate Christmas. Through the years, the number of lights have increased annually. The first official Plaza Lighting Ceremony took place in 1930. On Thanksgiving night, tens of thousands of people visit the Country Club to enjoy the local entertainment/performances (including celebrities) and to watch the electric lights (including fireworks and concerts) to initiate the Christmas season. A special guest or celebrity "flips the switch" each year. In its 84th year (as of 2013), the Country Club Plaza's "Season of Lights" is a Kansas City winter trademark and one of the city's longest/oldest traditions. It's considered the most spectacular Christmas lighting display in the nation (The Plaza: Kansas City’s World Famous Shopping District). More than 80 miles of Christmas lights accentuate every dome, tower and window of the Plaza's Spanish-influenced entertainment district, featuring more than 150 shops and restaurants. The lights shine twenty-four hours a day into mid-January of the following year. The one to two-hour ceremony is free and broadcast live on location television station KCTV. A century-old tradition of Christmas lights and seasonal attractions also extends into neighboring Crown Center. The song "Christmas In Kansas City", sung by Brad Millison and recorded in 1982, received considerable airplay on KC radio (KUDL) during the holiday season. It expresses the sights-and-sounds of the Country Club Plaza in Kansas City during Christmastime.
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onepennyred (postcrossing) sent from Kansas City (USA) on 28.11.2013
This country club is looking awesome. I have spent here my precious moments so many times. I recently visited The Farms Country Club San Diego which also provides many world class facilities to its members & also have well designed golf course.
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