Photo by Meaghan Habuda for @cl_tampabay

A couple of weeks back, a few different elements coalesced to get me thinking about the city in which I live: the ongoing construction of yet another massive (maybe the tallest in the Bay area?) condo, the emergence of demand for a new downtown noise ordinance (made mostly by people who moved to downtown St. Pete for the vibrant culture, and now want to silence it when they’re ready for bed), and the arrival of a new pool/party area to hip downtown boutique hotel The Hollander—and its rent-a-cabana-by-the-hour policy, which to some sounds a bit like the kind of Vegas-style day-clubbing experience that might attract an element (read: rich bros) anathema to the city’s more, er, hipster-y characteristics.

The column wasn’t about these things in particular, but the Hollander specifically served as a nice jumping-off point to discuss St. Petersburg’s evolving identity, and to ask people in the community what they want “their” St. Pete to be.

It got a nice variety of responses, of the type you hope to get with such a post rather than the type you usually get with such a post. You can read the column and comments here.