Ramones – "I Wanna Be Sedated" (1978)

Just get me to the airport

Put me on a plane

A couple of days after Christmas, my youngest child and I flew to Joplin, Missouri to visit my parents for a few days.

Actually, we flew to Kansas City and then drove to Joplin.  It takes about three hours to make the drive from the Kansas City airport to my parents' house, but flying to Joplin (which requires a connection via Dallas-Ft. Worth) takes two or three hours longer than flying nonstop to Kansas City.  Six of one, half a dozen of the other . . .

Terminal B at Kansas City International

Our return flight was delayed, so we had plenty of time to explore Terminal B of the airport.  Kansas City International has an unusual gate configuration, and is a very convenient airport to get in and out of.  But the restaurants and shops are nothing to write home about -- there's not much in the way of diversions if you have time to kill before your flight boards.

Most of the gates in Terminal B are assigned to Southwest Airlines, which was the airline we were flying on.  But I walked to the far end of the terminal, which was assigned to Delta, and was pleasantly surprised to find a Boulevard Brew Pub.

Boulevard, which is one of the most successful microbreweries in the Midwest, produces a number of very good beers.  About half a dozen were available on tap at the airport brewpub.

Boulevard beer taps

I sampled the Nutcracker Ale, a seasonal beer sold only in the winter, before settling on the Collaboration No. 4, which is a Belgian-style farmhouse ale that's a joint effort of Boulevard and Ommegang, another excellent microbrewery that's located in Cooperstown, NY. 

The last Delta flight leaves Kansas City at 7:30 pm, so the Boulevard Brew Pub shuts down at 7 . . . which meant I only had time for one beer.  But no worries!  Fortunately, Southwest now stocks Fat Tire, and I had a free drink coupon that expired the next day.

Missouri's state bird is the bluebird

Walking from the Boulevard brewpub to my gate at the other end of Terminal B, I was struck by he airport's intricate and colorful terrazzo floors, which are actually a work of art titled "Polarities."  Click here to read more about "Polarities," which was created by New York City-based artists Kristin Jones and Andrew Ginzel.

"Polarities" was installed in 2004, when the airport underwent a major renovation.  Kansas City requires that one percent of the cost of public construction projects be allocated to art, which meant that a total of about $2.5 million was budgeted for art for the airport.

There are dozens (hundreds?) of individual mosaic medallions in "Polarities," including these six -- each of which is about a foot in diameter:

Here's a closeup of one more of the individual "Polarities" medallions:

The Kansas City airport may be completely rebuilt in the not-too-distant future.  If that happens, it's not clear what will happen to "Polarities."

"I Wanna Be Sedated," one of the Ramones' most famous songs, was released in 1978 on the group's fourth studio album, Road to Ruin.

The song has been covered by many other performers, including the Offspring, Shonen Knife, the Go-Go's, and Vince Neil (Mötley Crue's lead singer).

Here's the "I Wanna Be Sedated" music video, which features (briefly) a 14-year-old Courtney Love.  

Click below to buy the song from Amazon: