Wichita, Kansas

Wichita, Kansas, is as nice a town as any to take a train ride through, I can tell you from first-hand experience. But, there's not much more to it than that, I'm afraid. after departing the downtown station, the buildings quickly decline in stature until you are rolling--at an odd angle to the cross-streets--through a residential district populated by one- and two-story houses and schools. And it's not long before you leave even this behind, venturing out into the open country side. The one remarkable aspect of the trip happens, anti-climatically, right at the outset. Warren Buffet's newly built headquarters (did you know that he relocated from Omaha?), situated adjacent to the downtown train station, is a must see. It is a formidable and stylish red-brick box of a building which includes a sort of swinging mechanical arm that streaches out over the train tracks. This au courant flourish offsets nicely the traditional formality of the brick facade, creating an architectural effect that is hard to pigeon-hole--or to miss! So, next time you find yourself in Wichita on a business trip or because of some kind of airline scheduling disaster, be sure to check out Buffet's building. But I wouldn't be in a rush to plan your honeymoon here.