The Crossroads neighborhood in Kansas City is an arts district.Of course, people disagree on what art is.And for some reason, artists aren’t content to have us look at their art. They want us to buy it.

Crossroads has some cool billboards (Abdiana is a real properties company)and a bit of a skyline. (Crown Center hotel, which is south of Crossroads, is on the left; the billboard above is on the right.)You can get to Crown Center, or the Liberty Memorial, or Union Station, via bikeor take this rocket if you’re in a real hurry (I believe that’s the old TWA building).Crossroads has design covered. Besides the office of the AIA (under construction here), there are also two “green building” stores, Elements of Green and Straw, Sticks, and Bricks.

There are new lofts with ground-level retail (the Peruvian Connection there on the right is an outlet store that sells samples and last year’s merchandise; you can order full-price merchandise through their catalog)and stand-alone stores like Michael’s that have been around for a while.

If you’re hungry, you have a variety of options. Bad Seed is a local farm. (I was hoping the actual farm was here at 19th and McGee, but no luck.)

This option is not as healthful but is probably open more often. (At the back of this photograph is a sign for the President hotel, although you probably can’t see it.)You know the area will stay clean with women in charge of it (even if this woman can’t frame her pictures correctly). I know someone who will be hopping on a plane to get to this store.Best of all? No bills are allowed. Everything is free.

The best intersections in Crossroads (going north) are at 19th and Main and 18th and Wyandotte. There’s a tapas place off Main called Extra Virgin that I want to try this week.