Most of what I don't like about the Flower Show has nothing to do with the show. It has to do with the convention center.
THE FOOD. Expensive and yucky, and if you're a vegetarian or have any dietary restrictions, you don't have a lot of choices. Is it me, or is the old regimen -- burgers and fries, sausage and pepper (with fries, natch), pizza, Chinese, uneventful salads and fried fish that looks like fried shoe -- stuff that ought to be eliminated forever from big-event menus?
Yes, there's sushi, but a small tray of it can run $7.50, and after hours of walking, seems to me that's too much money for not enough nourishment. And why does a bottle of water cost $2.50? A burger with fries and a drink $11.50? And you have to have cash. No plastic. What year is this?
Wellll... all cranky girl can say is, at least you can BRING YOUR OWN LUNCH to this event, unlike a Phillies game, where everything edible and drinkable is snatched away like so much cocaine crossing the border from Tijuana, making you a prisoner of the stadium's overpriced and unimaginative food vendors.
I finally got wise. Brought my own lunch today: PB&J.
And while we're being cranky, it bugs me that here we are, finally, at a time when recycling and being environmentally smart is prominent in the public discussion .. and we are still using plastic everything at places like the Pennsylvania Convention Center. It makes me cringe every time I see a giant trash bag go by.
Also on the we-don't-like list: CHAIRS. Not enough of them. Once again, this is the convention center and not the Flower Show, but I heard a number of complaints. The show covers 10 acres. That's a lot of hoofing to be done, especially considering that you can't begin to see this event in less than about four hours - and that's pushing it.
This matters even if you aren't elderly. A 57-year-old attorney from West Chester complained to me that she was exhausted after three or four hours and couldn't find a seat inside the show. (There are some chairs in there, on the perimeter, but most are outside the entrance, in the hallway.)
"Imagine how older people feel," the attorney said. She didnt want her age and name mentioned together, so, age wins out to prove my point.
I'm going to sleep on this and see what bubbles up tomorrow. If you have any thoughts about what you liked or didn't like at the show, whether flowers, music, exhibits or convention center, let me know. Meanwhile, I'm thinking of egg salad for tomorrow.
