Time Flies on Carriage Rides: What horse carriage rides on The Plaza do for me

There’s nothing I’m fonder of than stepping outside and realizing it’s finally winter time in Kansas — and time for my annual Plaza carriage ride.

Ever since I could waddle around, my family and I have celebrated the start of winter with a horse-drawn carriage ride around the Plaza. I always look forward to perusing the familiar lights and finding an occasional new store. 

I initially was worried the company wouldn’t be operating this year, but despite the pandemic, I soon found out that we would still be able to continue on the tradition — as rides are available from Nov. 27 until Dec. 30. 

Sightseeing is part of the excitement, but the real fun and sentiment is seeing people along the way — from Plaza shoppers buying last minute Christmas grifts to street musicians playing a rendition of Stairway to Heaven. 

In past years, I remember seeing the faces of those walking by. Some are tired from what I assumed to be a hard year’s work, others red in the cheeks walking out of McCormick and Shmicks, while focusing hard on making sure they don’t slip down the massive flight of stairs leading to the bar. 

As a teenager with a license, I’m able to drive down to the plaza to see what I want, whenever I want. But something about the carriage ride resonated differently with me.

Staring out of a slow-moving carriage with my family, to me, beats the allure of just staring out the car window and passing a glance at people milling about the streets and sidewalks. I’m more observant during the slow-moving carriage ride, where I can truly admire my surroundings.

The ride is one of those few times where I really look around at my surroundings and just think about how everyone has their own story and agenda. I’m able to disconnect from everything going on in my life — something that doesn’t happen very often.

The yearly ride my family takes allow not only lets me really look at the plaza, but it helps me reflect on my life. Seeing street musicians play makes me think of how lucky I am to hear music and be able to enjoy the various sights and sounds the world has to offer. During last year’s ride, I saw a group of people laughing outside of my favorite restaurant, Bo Lings, and it made me realize how thankful I am to have friends who bring me all kinds of happiness. 

Riding along with my family this year, I looked around to see the now all-too-familiar light blue color of surgical masks. Every block we rounded, a sea of little blue bubbles greeted us shielding people’s mouths and noses from the virus.

Normally the sidewalks are filled with pedestrians, but this year the number of people on the plaza dwindled. What struck me most is that I rarely saw a full family walking about.

While the whole experience made me feel a small sense of isolation that left me questioning where this whole year has gone, it also gave me a new appreciation for what I have now with my family.

Despite the worry and uncertainty I have felt constantly throughout the pandemic, at the end of the day, my family came out of this year fully intact. Some walking amongst the crowd I saw in the plaza may have not been so lucky.

It made me think about how I may be looking at someone in the small crowd, content to be enjoying a simple ride with my family the we do every year, while someone may be looking back reminiscing on time spent with loved ones that they no longer have with them anymore. 

I don’t want to be stuck reminiscing one day walking in that crowd thinking to myself about my family, “I should’ve appreciated them more.” I don’t think anyone does, which is why I love these carriage rides.

No one ever knows when something as mundane as a bed or meal won’t be available to them anymore. My family’s carriage ride tradition helps me to slow down for a little bit, take in all the sights, sounds and things I have in my life so I can practice appreciation for all of it.