passport photo

Life is weird; this is a fact that we are all familiar with. And the first half of 2017 has definitely been interesting from my new job as a resume writer to my break up with Brent barely a month later to adopting a dog about a month after that; there was a point when I thought the dust would never settle. But, the nice thing about life, that we should all be grateful for is that it does go on and things do get better, no matter how much it may feel like it never will.

Since my break up, I did a lot of things; cried, found solace in a wine bottle, watched TV until I passed out, cried on my friends’ couches, joined a new gym, worked on getting my six-pack back (that’s still in progress but it is coming back!) and started dating again. You’re always going to miss your first love, but I’ve finally decided that I’m not going to stop living my life or doing what I love because of it. My happiness is my own, it’s found within me and no matter what happens, no one and nothing can or should take that away from me; and that goes for everyone. And besides, it is summer, no one should be inside moping when almost every day is sunny and sweaty and in honor of reclaiming my happiness (and summer), I’ve decided to do something that has been on my radar for a while: The Passport Program.

The Passport Program, while not exactly local, was founded in 2013 in Denver, CO; a city rich with its own local culture. The Passport Program, since its inception, has expanded beyond Denver to other parts of Colorado, Nashville, DC and of course, our very own KC. The point of the Passport Program is to get newcomers and even die-hard locals exploring the “lush” side of their chosen city with 2-for-1 drink deals. And since I have several weddings coming up, I don’t have a lot of travel cash to work with, so a stay-cation exploration is my consolation prize, which works out perfectly since I love happy hours and very seldom get to enjoy them without missing a gym workout, something I equally love (if only drinking and working out mixed).

It’s not a secret that Kansas City has a vibrant bar scene brimming with edgy cocktail bars, breweries and distilleries and that scene is only getting bigger. Granted, I’ve been to most of the bars listed (see the list here), but not with a 2-for-1 special or the promise of a signature cocktail made specifically for participating “Passporters”. Expect summer to include plenty of sweating glasses and drink selfies with some of my best friends in the world, because good booze and good friends should be a steady constant in any 20-something year old’s life.