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There are a million reasons to love Kansas City, from galleries like the Nelson-Atkins, Kemper and WWI Museum to every rose that blooms in Loose Park in the spring. Our pit masters serve up some of the best barbecue in the world, and the Royals have one of the greatest pitchers in Major League Baseball.

Unfortunately, not everything gets as much love as Oklahoma Joe's or Zack Greinke, so we decided to spread the love around the metropolitan area this Valentine's Day.

Here are 14 things we love about Kansas City and hope you do, too.

Bikes

Kansas City may not yet have earned a reputation as a bike-friendly city, but that doesn't stop the people who use two wheels for leisure, commuting, and exercise from braving the streets in and around the city. In the warmer months, Kansas City Critical Mass draws a swarm of activist riders who take over Midtown streets, stopping traffic along the way. No matter the weather, cycling enthusiasts pack local bars for KC Sprints, a roving stationary bike race. And for those who just want to enjoy a nice, leisurely ride, Kansas City is abound with bike trails and great routes — especially for those who know where to look. If you don't, stop into one of the city's many bicycle shops and ask an expert while you get a tune up just in time for spring. Not ready to hit the streets? The MAX offers a bike rack that holds up to two bikes on the front of each bus, perfect for getting you to and from a bike shop or trail. – Jennifer Wetzel

Bill Shapiro

Vocal gravitas: innate or learned? Hard to determine, perhaps; some voices just sound authoritative. Cronkite. Roosevelt. Ditka. In Kansas City, that voice — that wonderful, gravelly, vaguely Nixonian voice — belongs to Bill Shapiro, creator and host of KCUR's Cyprus Avenue, the playlist-cum-historiography that rules KC's Saturdays. Shapiro, dean of local on-air personalities, has overseen his musical fiefdom since the Carter administration and shows no signs of slowing.

What Shapiro does so magnificently is mix the awe-struck wonder of a musical ingenue and the cool authority of a wizened club owner who's seen every brash up-and-comer and crass label exec. Listen to his show on the Beatles, e.g.: he'll lead into "Here, There And Everywhere" with a snapshot history lesson, holding forth on the hidden machinations of the group. Now, at the tune's conclusion, listen again. There is the slightest tinge of vocal shock, of disbelief that, after 30 years, he gets to play and discuss these incredible works. He is in that moment a fan, pure and unsullied.

KCUR boasts several standout personalities: Gina Kaufmann, Chuck Haddix (under the nom-de-ichthyoid Chuck Haddock), et al. But Shapiro is peerless. Shapiro is musical authority incarnate. Shapiro is dignitas, musical and local. – McKay Stangler

Boulevard Brewery's Smokestack Series

Not content merely locking down the hearts of Kansas City's beer faithful with their ubiquitous Wheat and Pale Ale styles, nor after placing beloved seasonals like Bob's 47 and Nutcracker Ale in the hot hands of the masses, the local brew mavens over at Boulevard Beer shot four 750-mL arrows into the metro's refrigerators on November 27th, 2007 in the form of the Smokestack Series.

As a result, life in KC has never been more beautifully beer-centric. Passionate discussions erupt over the relative merits of a Tank 7 versus a Saison-Brett after a long lawn-mowing session. The Bourbon Barrel Quadrupel and the Sixth Glass have replaced whiskey and brandy as preferred fireside tipples. Even the legendary Jean Marie Rock had to recognize the real, collaborating with Boulevard's own Stephen Pauwels on the newest Smokestack, an Imperial Pilsner that will kiss you back with crisp Saaz hops.Two more reasons to fall in love with the series are on the horizon, the Rye on Rye and the Dark Truth Stout, and you can conveniently recycle all that glass no matter where you live in KC.

Boulevard, let us count the ways… – Phil Torpey

Cost of living

Everybody wants what we have. Low-priced homes, some of the lowest gas prices in the country, backyards, stability... In these tough economic times, it seems the low cost of living is making Kansas City cool again. This is a place where you can afford to go out for dinner, attend a play, or buy a home. In most parts of the city you can buy a comfortable three-bedroom, two-bath home for under $200k. Last year, the average sales price of a home in Jackson County was $123,049; and in Johnson County, Kansas, the average was $238,575. Just buying a property would be virtually impossible in many cities around the country — especially on the coasts, let alone a comfortable single-family home.

So why are we so lucky to have such an affordable stomping grounds? Kansas City is a sprawling metropolis with an extensive roadway system making it easy to travel long distances to work. Our metropolitan area is comprised of two states, nine counties and 120 towns, each with varied and diverse neighborhoods and economic levels that lend them a character all their own. This diversity, mobility and affordability is what makes the city so livable. There is something for everyone. – Sarah Snodgrass

Disc Golf

Once spring arrives and temperatures begin to rise, thousands of Kansas Citians will return to their long-lost love — disc golf.

From the heavily forested 36 holes at Rosedale Park to the panoramic expanses of Cliff Drive, Kansas City's courses are some of the best designed in the country. "Kansas City disc golfers have it so good they don't even know it," said Rick Rothstein, owner of Disc Golf World in the Crossroads and the president of the Kansas City Flying Disc Club. "Our courses are not only plentiful, but they're also challenging."

Last summer KC played host to the 2009 Disc Golf World Championships, with 925 disc golfers competing in 11 metro area courses. On January 31, more than 400 disc golfers came out to the "Ice Bowl," an annual winter charity event that raised money for the Bishop Sullivan center.

The sport is affordable and highly accessible. Frisbees start at about $8 a piece, and the courses are all free and open to the public. And don't let the expertise of the pros (or your more experienced friends) put you off. As the sign says at the Swope Park course, "Most fun wins." – Lucas Wetzel

First Fridays

Our fair city offers few occasions for its residents to be members of a fluid, seething, and many-faceted crowd. Such an urban experience is not afforded by events that are hosted at the many sports complexes in the area, nor by the retail adventures we’re invited to undergo at the Plaza or the Power and Light District. Each of those situations feature an equally and distinctly homogeneous set of fellow citizens and experiences, leading some to lament that Kansas City isn’t a “real city.” Fortunately there is First Fridays at the Crossroads to prove such moaning wrong.

Whether the art is remarkable, sub-standard, or outmatched altogether by the performances in the street, the first Friday of every month is an opportunity for Kansas Citians to be shoulder-to-shoulder with people that are decidedly unlike them, whoever they are. No matter what’s on view, it’s the human element that makes First Fridays interesting. There are art students posing as art vagabonds, vagrants posing as art stars, suburban boomers posing as collectors (by, in fact, collecting), and jaded young downtown and Midtown city-dwellers passing out contrarian one-liners (mainly to each other). The glue — aside from the collective eye-rolls they are giving one another — is that they’re choosing to do this together.

Take a peek in the strange fellow’s telescope, argue with an activist, have a snow cone, bear the cold and snow. Once a month, the people of Kansas City do away with their egregious amounts of personal space, and seem to enjoy it. – Rob Bingaman

The Kauffman Foundation

When Ewing Kauffman founded a pharmaceuticals company in the basement of his home in 1950, he started a chain of events that would change the face of Kansas City for decades to come. The company, Marion Laboratories, became a pillar of the Kansas City business community, and its success enabled Kauffman to establish the Royals and turn them into a perennial contender throughout the 70s and 80s.

It also allowed him to found The Kauffman Foundation, an organization charged with fostering entrepreneurship and providing education opportunities for youth. From courses on how to start a new business to programs aimed at creating students who will "hold good-paying jobs, raise their families, and become productive citizens," the foundation's work touches people across Kansas City — and the country.

By helping others replicate the successes that allowed Kauffman to contribute so generously to Kansas City, the Kauffman Foundation has become a globally recognized leader in its fields. You've got to love having a resource like that in your backyard. – Jay Senter

Local Libraries

Housed in the marble fortress of the old First National Bank building, Kansas City’s Central Library is downtown’s 150,000 square foot living room. This neo-classical behemoth, stuffed now with books rather than bonds, mixes grandeur with informality, inviting visitors to wander the stacks or engage with any number of outstanding public programs. Chief among its architectural charms is the Stan Durwood Film Vault. This screening room, modeled in the style of an old Hollywood movie palace, fills the interior of the former bank’s basement vault. The rooftop terrace is another of the building’s remarkable assets, offering an expansive view of the Library’s urban environs.

But the Central Library not only succeeds as an architectural wonder, it’s also, and foremost, a fantastic civic institution. Kansas City may be a place of divided communities, but you can find representatives of each and all in this building. Furthermore, the Library serves as a resource for a variety of needs. Whether you're job searching, researching, taking in a lecture or a film, the Library is your common destination, and just one of the many local libraries that we love. – Nathan Readey

Local, local restaurants

Turn on the Food Network these days, and you're bound to run across a celebrity foodie extolling the virtues of some restaurant in San Francisco that uses only local ingredients. Give us a break. Making local ingredients delicious is pretty easy when you’ve oysters from Tomales Bay and wine grapes from Napa at your disposal.

But it takes a spark of creativity to make the local ingredients model work in the Midwest. For our money, if you want to truly appreciate the good things that can happen when chefs get creative with regional, seasonal fare, take a look at what’s happening in the kitchens of Justus Drugstore, The Farmhouse, Blue Bird Bistro and The Westside Local.

No, we can’t count fresh seafood among our local ingredients. But Alice Waters doesn’t have Jonathan Justus’s “Missouri Friend Rabbit” on her menu. – Jay Senter

The MAX

When the great Christmas Eve snowstorm of 2009 left cars stuck all over slippery side streets well into 2010 — and the city failed to do much about it — Kansas Citians still managed to get around town. That's due in large part to The MAX (Metro Area Express), a rapid-transit bus that zips up and down Main Street come hell or high water... or a foot of snow, as it were.

For just $1.50, commuters can quickly go from the River Market to Waldo, with free transfers to other city bus lines along the way. In addition to online schedules, an LED clock at each covered stop lets riders know when the next bus will arrive. And as previously mentioned (see 'Bikes' above), each MAX bus has a front rack for two bicycles.

Because The MAX has become such an essential part of KC life, the KCATA plans to add another line along Troost by the end of the year. – Emily Farris

Miles Bonny

A man of many hats, Miles Bonny is an artist, producer, label head, DJ, promoter, tastemaker, mentor, husband, and father. Since splashing onto the local hip-hop scene ten years ago with his former group SoundsGood, Bonny has proved apt at uniting different sounds, flavors, and approaches under the banner of a simple idea: make good music, and help others to do the same.

Eight years after he and Joe Good first began rocking stages in Lawrence, Bonny has founded the collective/label INnatesounds, produced for artists such as Sage Francis, Ces Cru, and Reggie B, released a gang of soulful solo trumpet/vocal material in both full-length and EP form, and held down countless recurring and non-recurring DJ nights with a master's in ass-moving.

As likely to knock out a heat rock like Stik Figa's "Figa Of Speech" as he is to explore the different realms of human communication (especially as it relates to love) on a solo track like "You" or "Tricycle," Bonny has never been a chameleon. He's simply able to reconcile the various musical identities of both himself and others and concentrate that energy on both KC and the world with a quiet intensity and infectious joy. – Phil Torpey

Penn Valley Dog Park

For many urban dwellers who take advantage of Kansas City's beautiful, moderately-priced apartments, the city's parks become our collective back yards. They're where parents play catch with their kids, young lovers picnic in the springtime and dog owners take their pups for exercise. But when apartment dogs need to go crazy chasing down tennis balls, rolling in mud (hey, it happens) and wrestling with their furry friends, the Penn Valley dog park is the place to go. Opened in April of 2004, the 2.7-acre fenced-in dog run at 29th and Wyandotte is the city's first official off-leash dog park. It has picnic tables for humans, trash cans so humans can clean up after their dogs, a K-9 water fountain (though it spent a great deal of the late fall and winter broken) and an additional fenced-in area for smaller pups.

The park is so essential to Kansas City dog owners that some formed a volunteer, non-profit organization, the Dogpark Improvement Group, to raise money to ensure that the Penn Valley Dog Park remains a safe, clean, happy place for dogs and their owners to enjoy for many years to come. – Emily Farris

Rainy Day Books

At first glance, you might not think this corner bookstore in a quiet shopping area of Fairway is responsible for helping Kansas City become an essential stop on international literary tours, but that's exactly what Vivien Jennings and the staff at Rainy Day Books have accomplished in their 35-year love affair with literacy.

From Chuck Pahlinuk to Annie Liebowitz, some of the most exciting authors and creators working today have been brought to Kansas City as guest speakers by Rainy Day. Yann Martel, Kathleen Norris, Harlan Cobin, Anna Quindlen and Jonathan Alter are on the upcoming guest list, and last month Jonathan Franzen confirmed a Rainy Day-sponsored visit for September. In addition to attracting lit-world luminaries, the bookstore also lends support to literary efforts, reading groups and charitable book-collection efforts.

Jennings opened Rainy Day Books in 1975, and has been holding literary court there ever since. What the store lacks in floorspace it more than makes up for in selection, with new releases, staff pics and local-interest books on prominent display on the shelves around the counter. Keep up with events on their Facebook page, or just stop by the store at 2706 W. 53rd Street in Fairway next time you're in search of a good read. – Lucas Wetzel

Westport

The ragged procession of trappers, traders, frontier folk and colorfully dressed Sacs, Foxes, Shawnees and Delawares have long disappeared from its streets, but the commercial district of Westport still oozes personality today.

Although we don't have space to mention all the great things modern Westport offers, here are a few favorites: the original "Pop-a-Shot" at Harpo's, an IPA and Bread Pudding at McCoy's, the buffet at Korma Sutra, drinks at Tea Drops, coffee at Broadway Cafe, foreign films at the Tivoli, record shopping at Streetside Records, the inside-out Burger at Blanc, elegant hats at The Missing Piece and fine cigars at Fidel's. The Riot Room offers live rock or hip-hop most nights of the week, and the Record Bar hosts great concerts and one of the tastiest Sunday brunches around.

Whether it's wireless Internet at Dave's Stagecoach Inn, top-notch DJs at Firefly or a new deck opening at Kelly's, Westport bar owners are staying innovative in order to keep their district lively. Other entertainment districts might benefit from newer facilities and better funding, but it's hard to compete with Westport's century and-a-half of commerce, clamor and character. – Lucas Wetzel

What do you love the most about Kansas City?

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