It's a rainy day in Philadelphia. It was a downpour with a few strong gusts. Today was the day, I thought as I rushed to the El. Today was the Philadelphia International Flower Show 2011. The biggest exhibition in the United States. (That's what everyone keeps stating. I have not disprove this fact yet.) Crowds of people line up as they were transported up the escalator to the wonders of Paris. As you can tell by the title that most of the exhibits will show their intrepretation of Springtime in Paris. There are exhibits range from high schools and colleges to professional landscapers to the Water Company. Some range from beautiful to the surreal to the weird. In either case, you will be duly impressed by the imagery and the scents of flowers in bloom.
Upon entering, you will see the bottom part of the Eiffel Tower surrounded by these amazing animal wire toparies, which you can see a few below. Aren't they awesome? The credit for the amazing design goes to the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society.
First, it can be overwhelming. There are crowds of people at the front taking pictures as you first enter. My suggestion for people is to wait it out. I know. I know. The first thing you want to do is take pictures. But there are tons of people and who really want strangers in their pictures? We decided to take a few quick pics and walked around once and came back after lunch. Believe me. It was worth it. The crowds have thinned out and you have a better chance of taking better photos. If you wait till after 4 pm, you will be even better. By that time, most people would have left.
Just behind the Eiffel Tower, you will see a merry-go-round, the Carousel Stage. It has 3 wire animal toparies, spinning slowly. Unfortunately, you will not be able to ride them. >_< The merry-go-round occasionally hosts entertainment. At the beginning, you will see a few singers and musicians being very french-like. Later, they had a couple of French girls doing the can-can. It's not listed in the ads, so you have to pass by to catch what's going on. Then you strolled past that to see the other exhibits. They take up the first 2/3rd part of the convention center. The smells and sights are amazing. But it felt that all the exhibits hosted either orchids and/or tulips. Hmm... O_o
The rest of the floor are filled with vendors, hocking their wares. I bought a cute Brazilian Firecracker. (I will post of pic of it when I have it settle in.) I wanted something more interesting but nothing was really available in the way I wanted it. The vendors consisted mostly of orchids, cacti, different things for the garden, bouquets and seeds for planting. I was interested in something already grown and cute. There was only one booth catering to that. So, if you expecting this, be aware. Also, bring plastic bags if you plan on purchasing. They give either a paper bag or you have to buy one. Or you can get a free tote from somewhere.
Besides the amazing sights, you get to learn. Yup yup. It's like being in college all over again. Each day there are a selection of lectures you can sit and ask questions. Each class should last up to 1 hour long. Warning: Go at least 20+ minutes before the start time. The rooms are small and the seating minimal. We ended standing when we arrived 10 minutes early. But if you wait it out, some people will get up to leave and you can grab their seats. We managed to grab 3 classes. One with the Executive Chef of Le Bec Fin. Boring. He had microphone issues and the audience couldn't understand half the things he was saying. He wasn't entertaining and probably not use to the stage. The host has a nasaly way of talking that got on my nerves. And he honestly didn't really use much "flowers" in his dish. Thumbs down. Next, Big Beautiful Arrangements. Interesting class. I'm almost inspired to make one myself. The first 2 bouquets were absolutely stunning. The last two were eh. But it was informative and fun to watch. Our final was Caring for House Plants. This was for me. I have 2 plants that are surviving somehow despite by black thumb. This class really helped. I was doing a lot of things wrong. XD Definitely informative.
The lunch area of the convention is small and expensive for the huge crowds. People resorted to sitting on the floors. Even pass lunch time and even before, there were constant crowds in the food area. Get your hand stamp for reentry and make your way into the city. We went to Chinatown, which is only 2-3 blocks away. It will a chance to get away from the crowds and see some of the city. If you are crunched for time, there are some sandwiches, desserts, coffee and soups available.
Bathrooms are very important to me. Right ladies? Be aware. By the end of the day, there will be no toilet paper in the stalls. Even the cleaner told us not to use this bathroom since it was really nasty. Her words. Half the sinks don't work. Half the soap does not dispense. Use them as much as you can.
Overall, I enjoyed my first Flower Show. The PHS did an amazing job and count this year as another success. The crowds can be a pain, but it's part of the experience of a convention. If you are in the area, drop on by. It's a great way to spend the day during a raining day.
Funny quote I heard today: Looking at the koi fish, I overheard a woman talking with her friend. She refers to the koi swimming in the pond. "Those are the Japanese fish. I forgot what they were called. I know they live up to a year."
*Please note: These images were taken by me, Mari. Please do not use these images for any reason without my permission. Thank you. ^_^
No comments:
Post a Comment