If you can avoid it, don't use the Highway 54 (also known as "Kellogg) entrance or exit junction with the I-235 Highway (called the "Bypass.") The entrance and exit ramps are death traps! There is not sufficient room to merge on and off, and this is the scene of many accidents because of it.

The dealerships in Wichita are at the far ends of town; as East as you can go, and as West as you can go. There is a good assortment of lots at both ends of town, but if you want any kind of luxury lot, you have to go East.

I knew of a really cool historical site (The "Wichita" sign at the old train depot) that is a neat photo-op, especially for out-of-towners. Several months back, I decided to find it to use as a photo-op for a group of people who were coming to town from several different states. Since this site is not currently in use, or part of any museum or "official" site, there were no directions to it. I went by other pictures I had seen online (looking for buildings/clues in their backgrounds) and what Google Satellite images I could find that showed where the railroad used to run. The place turned out to be accessible, but quite hidden away. I drove around for at least 30 minutes to find it. It was worth every minute! To my surprise, this hidden treasure was located right next to a new, multi-million dollar arena, but sadly is hidden from view.

900 Block of W. 9Th Street during mid-to-late autumn. This is an old neighborhood, built in the 40's. The street is narrow, and there are HUGE trees on both sides of the street in nearly every yard. The trees on either side of the street actually touch, forming a complete canopy over the street. I always drive down this street in the fall, when the leaves are at their peak of color. I go when the Bradford Pear trees are vivid red; that seems to be the height of the season. The block is the 900 block, but this canopy of trees extends a block or two in each direction.

I recommend using your GPS, if one-way streets aren't your thing. It can get confusing in the downtown area, especially if you are unsure which side of the street your destination is on. Also, wintertime can be very scary. Allow plenty of room to stop. Traffic seems to suddenly stop and a good distance cushion will keep you from having a very bad day here.

For used cars, I would suggest using a service like Carmax. There are numerous new and used car dealers and they seem to be along all the major streets like Kellogg. However, don't expect them all to be in one location like some cities do. It might take a lot of driving to check out numerous brands. Best advice is do your homework online first, plan where to go, then use the GPS. I would avoid Craigslist here unless you are good at stopping hail damaged cars even though they may shine like new.

After living in Seattle and San Diego, Wichita, KS is a refreshing city to drive in. There is very little traffic compared to larger cities and it's quite simple to find your way around. There are a lot of one-way streets in the downtown area but I find that to be handy in this city. My favorite memory is driving into the river area near downtown for the first time. The parks are beautiful. The city has really taken advantage of having two rivers meet near downtown and it's very scenic.

West Zoo Blvd toward the rivers.. I live on the West side and getting to downtown is a breeze. I take W. 21St St. North to West Zoo Blvd to N. McLean Blvd. That follows the Arkansas River and it takes me right to downtown. The Arkansas and Little Arkansas rivers come together in this area. Several very clean parks line these waterways, so a relaxing stroll with shade and scenery is a nice benefit of this part of town.