Chillounge: Chilling out in a St. Petersburg park

ST. PETERSBURG — White curtains flap in the chill night wind. Lithe dancers tango on stage. Couples huddle for warmth on plush daybeds. Patrons clutch libations, devour hors d'oeuvres and puff on thick cigars as live jazz beats from the stage.

Monica Lloyd soaks in the laid-back vibe of Chillounge — the new South Beach-meets-the-outdoors event that sashayed into St. Petersburg on Saturday night — and thought to herself:

It's about time.

"When my girlfriend told me about it, I was like 'Yes!' " Lloyd said. "We need something like this in St. Petersburg. I'm proud of the city. We have a lot to offer.

"And this shows that we don't have to go across the bridge to get our entertainment anymore."

Clearwater has its beaches — and traffic. South Tampa has its bars — and more bars. Ybor City has its crowds — and let's leave it at that.

But St. Petersburg has a different ambience, as can be evidenced by any number of neighborhood bars, Jannus Landing concerts or just a nighttime stroll down Beach Drive.

That coolness seemed validated by Rainer Scheer, the German gallery owner who dreamed up the first Chillounge in Sarasota in February. Now he's taking the show on the road, and he liked what he saw in a packed Straub Park on Saturday.

"St. Petersburg is a beautiful location," he said. "Everyone is having such a good time."

Chillounge seemed to confirm that downtown St. Petersburg has a certain je ne sais quoi going for it — whether or not BayWalk goes bankrupt.

Not that it was always this way.

"This is definitely different than the St. Pete I grew up in," said Christina Erlinger, 23, who should know. The St. Petersburg High School graduate (Class of '03) is now a student at Stetson University College of Law.

Downtown wasn't much of a destination when she was growing up, Erlinger said. Now it is.

Her friend Lora Hogan, 23, has lived "everywhere," as she put it, most recently New York City. But even the Big Apple can learn a thing or two from modern-day St. Petersburg, she said.

"There's nothing this relaxed in New York," Hogan said. "On a Saturday there'd be a lot of shoulder bumping there.

"I've never met so many nice people in my life. I'm surprised by the amount of young people. There's a vibrancy here, it's very welcoming."

Sam and Kim Salter are vacationing here from Charleston, S.C., a town known for its charm. But lying back on a daybed, sipping gin and juice, they said they've found St. Petersburg has a surprising charm, too — and the demographic isn't quite as old as they had heard, either.

"Not bad, not bad," said Sam Salter, 44. "I like the setting. It's a beautiful setting."

"I was a little surprised," said Kim Salter, 42. "I see a lot of the older crowd hanging out, but I've seen a lot of young people, too."

Jamal Thalji can be reached at thalji@sptimes.com or (727) 893-8472.