I am telling you the absolute truth when I say this:  When I was a kid, downtown St. Petersburg was dead at night.  Not just slow.  Empty.

When I hit 16 and got my little used Karman Ghia convertible, I did not drive downtown at night, except during Christmas season.  For a couple of weeks in mid December, stores were open at night and there were actually people there.  But, the rest of the year, downtown was still empty.

Street Scene at First Friday

A few years later, I rented a big old seven bedroom house on the corner of 4th Street South and 6th Avenue South, and shared the house with several other high income folks such as myself.  Yes, it’s true, I lived on Chicken Pot Pies for a time there.  Anyway, my cheap entertainment was my bicycle, and I loved to ride down by the water, over into Roser Park, and north into downtown.  But I had downtown to myself – streets, sidewalks, everything.  Empty and desolate.

Not so in 2009!  There are always things going on downtown.  Great restaurants, concerts of every imaginable genre and for all ages, live theater, and more.  And on the first Friday of each month, the city closes off part of Central Avenue and downtown hosts the First Friday Get Downtown Street Party!  It starts before dark and runs ’til 2 AM.  Although it was raining early on Friday night, August 7th, and I wondered if it would even happen, the rains quit by about 7:30 and it was actually pretty cool out for a hot August night.  My wife and I drove downtown, parked in front of Starbucks, and walked a block to the party.  There were certainly fewer people attending than usual, likely because it had been raining.  But, still, they numbered in the hundreds, and everyone seemed to be having fun.

Suzette Jennings and Moodswingz

There were several bars and restaurants open in the area, but there’s also beer and wine sold on the street, with profits going to local charities. You can do a little drinking and feel good about it, too! So, next time it’s the first Friday night of the month and you’re wondering how you’re going to spend your evening, why not Get Downtown and hit the First Friday party? It’s a fun diversion and a nice change from everyday routine.