Despite the old Cheers cliché, it's often not best to go somewhere where everyone knows your name. Walk into a bar with too familiar a clientele, and you feel like you're at a family reunion. Boring. At a local watering hole, it's better to know just one guy — someone dependable enough to be a host, introducing you to all sorts of interesting people. That's the idea behind Chappell's Restaurant & Sports Museum, where owner Jim Chappell, a 65-year-old glad-hander, spends lunch rushes and happy hours connecting patrons with similar interests. That his place is probably the largest repository of local sports memorabilia — Kansas City A's pennants, 300-game bowling rings, KU Kirk Hinrich jerseys — means bargoers never have a shortage of ways to wax nostalgic. For former student athletes looking to relive their glory days, Chappell's even has football helmets from local high schools. Whether you were once a North Kansas City Hornet or a Winnetonka Griffin, your team is represented.
