While rainy days may complicate outdoor plans, don’t cry about it. Some things are simply better on rainy days. April showers are common but don’t have to ruin your day. Here are my recommendations on how to spend your rainy spring days for the best results.
Find your way to a coffee shop in downtown Kansas City. It is imperative that you find a coffee shop with – and this is very crucial – large windows. Do your homework, read a book and sip a latte all while watching the rain fall outside.
Here are my favorite coffee shops with excellent windows for your rain-watching endeavors:
- The Filling Station Coffee
- Vested Coffee
- Opera House Coffee
- Banksia
Make a moody rainy day playlist. This activity is best paired with the previous activity. Are you listening to moody music in a coffee shop while it’s raining? You are basically the star of a romantic comedy. Do not let anyone tell you otherwise. If you do not want to make a rainy day playlist, you are more than welcome to use mine.
Go to a bookstore. Nothing – and I mean nothing – makes me want to find a new book to read than a good rainy day. Kansas City has a lovely selection of bookstores to choose from.
- Prospero’s Books – Located along W 39th street, Prospero’s has three floors of used books to choose from. Your options for affordable books are endless.
- Rainy Day Books – The name is appropriate and this little bookstore in Fairway, Kansas, is an ideal choice for a rainy day.
- Afterward – If you want a cocktail to go along with your book perusing, Afterward is the place for you. This bookstore and bar in the crossroads is one of my favorite places to go, rain or shine.
Wander around the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art or The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. Both museums are free and easily accessible options for the perfect rainy afternoon.
Go for a walk or run. I realize people usually try to avoid going outside on a rainy day, but I find a walk in the rain rather refreshing. With the right music, I am – once again – convinced that I am the star in a romantic comedy.
Find some comfort food. Rainy days always warrant something warm and comforting. I’d recommend Pho from the Vietnam Café, dumplings from Blue Koi, or the French onion soup from Aixois Bistro.
Watch “The Office,” season 8, episode 21. This is the episode where “The Office” tries to get Phyllis to say all of her rainy-day clichés by noon so Jim will buy them all hot chocolate. For obvious reasons, this is the perfect episode for a rainy day. You could watch the office or simply just burrow into your couch and re-watch the entirety of “New Girl” or “Brooklyn Nine-Nine.”
