We're hitting the road with some excellent girlfriends' getaways this month. Seven trips around the Midwest with lots to see, shop, eat, stay, and do and all within a four-hour drive of Kansas City. If it's time to expand your cooking repertoire, in Kansas City Cooks!, there's a roundup of nine places that feature cooking classes for everything from Indian-inspired food to barbecue. Classical painter George Anthony Martin is the Q&A for this issue, and his story of growing up in Kansas City and finding his way to fine art is a mesmerizing one. A documentary about his life is on HBO right now. In the home feature, a couple merged their families and renovated a Country Club District home to fit their new lifestyle. The result is inspirational. Departments and columns include beauty, wellness, and fashion; entertaining; expanded arts and culture coverage; dining out and dining in, including recipes and up-to-date info on KC's restaurant and bar scene.