South/Southeast 1 - Topeka, KS

Parts of Topeka began as a ferry service across the Kansas River for travelers along the Oregon Trail in the 1840s. The city then served as a stop over for military units heading to Fort Riley in the 1850s. The state capital began construction in 1866.

The Mulvane Art Museum on the campus of Washburn University houses approximately 4,000 works of art. Most of the collection spans 20th-century American and Midwestern art. The NOTO Arts District provides artists, musicians and poets with a place to show their talents on a regular basis. The district sits on the other side of the Kansas River from the southeast neighborhood.

Washburn hosts the annual Mulvane Mountain/Plains Art Fair every June. The Kansas Expocentre hosts the Cider Days art festival each September with live entertainment, a petting zoo and live historical reenactments.

Fast food chains, ethnic eateries and a few local restaurants surround this area of Topeka along 29th Street, Topeka Boulevard and Gage Boulevard. A couple of bars dot the landscape near the south side of the city, while one of the top nightclubs in the area, Wild Horse Saloon, features occasional live country music.

LaRocca's Pizza on Gage features thick crusts that are crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. Order a small or large pizza with whatever toppings you want from pizza standards to more exotic ingredients, such as artichoke hearts, cream cheese and feta cheese. The meat lover's pizza contains pepperoni, sausage, ground beef, ham and bacon bits. For another meaty treat, try the Chicago-style Italian link sausage sandwich covered in house-made marinara sauce and cheese. The house special entrée includes egg noodles layered with cheese, meat sauce, onions, and peppers and then topped by mounds of mozzarella cheese.

Boss Hawg's Barbecue & Catering stays open until 2 a.m. every day to handle hungry crowds in the state capital. The Sloppy Hawg sandwich features meat and more meat thanks to beef brisket, pulled pork, chopped ham, shredded chicken and jalapeño cheese sausage on a single sandwich. All these meats combine with barbecue sauce to create a meat lover's paradise. The rib tip dinner has tender and juicy house-smoked rib tips served with moist cornbread and two sides. Boss Hawg's also serves ribs by the platter. Choose a quarter rack, half rack or full rack combined with a quarter pound of the other smoked meats to go "hawg" wild for dinner.

Stevie Rae’s Bar & Grill has a bar menu focused on hamburgers and drink specials every day in the southeast portion of this neighborhood. The bar stays open from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. nightly. Karaoke happens every Wednesday, and taco specials occur Tuesday. On $3 Thursday, some foods on the menu cost just $3.

Most of the neighborhood has sidewalks for daylight jaunts along residential streets. Bicyclists can use side streets for transportation, but larger roads have too much traffic or not enough room for bicycles to maneuver.

Free and plentiful parking spaces are available at businesses, parks and public spaces. Take Gage Boulevard, Burlingame Road or Southwest Topeka Boulevard to Interstate 470. I-470 then turns into I-70 in the northeast part of town. If you don't have a car, call one of a few taxi companies that service the neighborhood. Uber doesn't service the Topeka area.

Buses from Topeka Metro's route 14s stop at Gage and I-470. The first bus arrives at 6:10 a.m., and the last bus leaves the stop at 4:06 p.m. To reach Kansas City via public transportation, take the Amtrak train east.

Big Shunga Park represents 95 acres of pure outdoor fun, including a concrete biking trail, baseball diamonds, a football field, playground, barbecue grills and picnic tables. Major Palm Park has flower beds, a baseball diamond, playground and picnic areas. Bring along your leashed dog for canine exercise.

Tulip Time in the park system occurs every April when the colorful flowers bloom at various parks in Topeka. Lake Shawnee hosts the Inter-Tribal Pow Wow in late August or early September, and the lake also serves as the launching point for the Huff ‘n Puff Hot Air Balloon Festival in September.

Living in this neighborhood costs much less than in downtown Kansas City due to several factors, including housing, utilities, transportation and groceries. A one-bedroom apartment runs you $499 per month. A pint of beer at a local bar sells for about $3. Getting to downtown Kansas City on public transport costs $2 for a one-way fare on the bus, plus another $17 for a round-trip journey on the Southwest Chief route for Amtrak. A gallon of gas typically runs 14 percent lower than the national average.

A few shopping centers surround the outskirts of this neighborhood. High-value national chains ring the area, allowing shoppers to attend to basic needs at the four corners of the neighborhood. A Walmart Supercenter sits to the southeast, while a Dillons grocery store in the northwest provide the closest grocery stores. Akin's Natural Food Markets presents an alternative to other grocery stores. The Downtown Topeka Farmers Market presents locally grown produce for customers every Saturday from April to November.

Brickhouse Antiques features gallery-style shopping by showing customers wares in specific, arranged settings. Find vintage glassware, pottery, furniture, jewelry and toys from the Victorian Era to the turn of the 20th century. The store encourages people to touch, feel and handle items, when possible, and for patrons to sit in the furniture to see how chairs feel. Brickhouse opens daily until 5 p.m.

Capps Bike Shop, in the Holliday Square Shopping Center service, sells four different brands of street bicycles. If you want a good workout and don't want to travel, buy a treadmill, stationary bike or elliptical machine. The shop services what it sells, whether you need a simple tune up or a complete overhaul for your bike.