Reality: The Ultimate Attraction

Yesterday, some coworkers and I decided on lunch in Centro Ybor. Centro Ybor is one of those large urban hybrid developments that mash retail, entertainment and dining together into one central gathering place. It seems like just about every major city in the country has something like it: a point of destination that’s supposed to lure wary suburbanites into the “risky” environs of downtown areas. The problem is, these places don’t seem to be the economic juggernauts their developers painted them to be.

While waiting for our lunches, my coworkers and I counted the businesses that had left Centro Ybor. True, some of the retail spaces have been filled with new tenants, but the impressions of economic difficulties linger. Still, as the conversation continued, I had to laugh at notions of a struggling Centro Ybor.  That’s because I live in St. Petersburg.

St. Petersburg’s version of Centro Ybor is a complex called Baywalk. At its inception, Baywalk was supposed to herald a new era in St. Petersburg’s development – a glorious transition from a drowsy retirement town into something new and vital. What happened, instead, is that Baywalk set a new low standard for failed development and poor management.  These days, Baywalk is more a ghost town than a shopping mecca.  But here’s the weird part….

Downtown St. Petersburg DID transform into something new and vital (no thanks to Baywalk). Whether its Bella Brava’s on Beach Drive, the St. Pete Brasserie on Central or all the wonderful haunts in between, St. Petersburg is the very definition of vitality.   Everywhere you turn, there’s art, culture, fantastic cuisine and, oh, yes… authenticity.

There. You’ve found me out. That’s the real reason for this post.  I have this great crazy love of things authentic and, I posit, so do most other people, whether they know it or not.

Life occurs organically, not according to some calculated master plan laid out by urban development types. What’s happening in St. Petersburg is a unique, spontaneous vortex of culture.  If you’re not from the area, come by on a Friday night and check it out.  You’ll be amazed.   If you do make the journey, all I ask is that you stop somewhere between the Chihuly glass museum and the crowds at the gelatto joint.  Look out at the water and the marinas.  Take it all in and reflect on the authentic mass of it all.  You’re in a real place and it has true, immutable value.  This is not a fabricated, pretend gathering spot.

I ask you to consider this, not as an advocate of downtown St. Petersburg (though I certainly am) but as an advocate of real experiences.  Whether you’re communicating, advertising, marketing or just sharing your own experiences, think about reality as a commodity.  My feeling is that, in a world where so much is simulated and cynically prepackaged, anything with a feel of the genuine, the unique, the spontaneous, is bound to have the winning edge.   I think we’re starved for authenticity.   I think that’s what carries the day, no matter what endeavor you’re in.

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