Very Expensive Flowers

I remember going to the flower fields in Carlsbad when I was in elementary school and it being amazing. The pictures of the flowers are full, vibrant, and in the middle of no where. It was something that was truly worth driving out there to wander around and look at. I also don't remember it costing any money.

It wasn't particularly sunny when I went, which took something away I think, but this can be easily overlooked. The first hiccup was discovering that they were charging ten dollars for admission. Nine if I had a AAA membership (which I do). Once inside, I found the atmosphere too different, unsettling, crowded, and grossly touristy. Again, tourism happens, it was a Sunday afternoon, so that too could be overlooked. The flowers weren't what I had expected from my focused, bright memories of this field. The rows of flowers were there, but they looked unhealthy. The rows weren't filled in as well as they could have been, they weren't pruned well, and were interspersed with dead, withered looking flowers.



The biggest change was the rows of condos that backed up the fields. I really don't remember that little eye sore, and it made the fields less enjoyable. Before, you felt like you traveled to the middle of no where almost, and had the opportunity to wander around these vast, dense flower fields existing all on their own. Now, it's very clear that it's this maintained, condensed, tourist trap.


The afternoon wasn't miserable, because the flowers are still pretty and novel. There are still hills covered in flowers, it just isn't something I would pay nine dollars for when I can see it all well enough from the road. This last weekend there was a special orchid exhibition, and rows of vendors peddling their various plants, which was interesting. They also had a small scale, sweet pea maze, and an astonishingly good middle school rock cover band.

The flower fields weren't what I expected, and I just can't find a reason for it to have been worth the admission cost. If there's nothing else to do, and it's an experience that you feel you need, it's a relatively enjoyable way to spend the afternoon. It's just not cheap and doesn't resemble the Technicolor dream-scape that I remember it being.