The preamble to Sundial's opening has been filled with the kind of hesitant and upsetting verbiage one can expect from a city that, after a period of stagnation, has begun to economically and culturally blossom. We're doing all right, why do we need more, especially in a spot that seems zoned to fail?

While we empathize with the grievances being aired regarding the shopping center we thought we might invite you to experience the director's cut of St. Pete with a few alternate endings depicting the city that might-have-been had The Edwards Group not invested in the Sundial. Enjoy the show:

The spot formerly known as Baywalk could have been ignored and left baron. The city could have had another wonderful vacant lot in the heart of its downtown area. Listen close enough and you might hear the phantom angst of an ever-forming  line at Game Stop for the early release of Call Of Duty.

If not a vacant lot, the area void of business could have become Williams Park East. Which as we all know is perfect for ultimate frisbee and nature walks.

We digress. It could have doubled as a parking lot and petting zoo filled with the kind of cuddly creatures known to evolve from the black mold of the elevators once running at Baywalk.Of course it wouldn't so much be a sanctioned zoo in the city so much as it would be the consequence of having insufficient weapons to take down the furry beasts. Before your Beach Drive meal overlooking the waterfront take the family to pet some Teenage Mutant Ninja rats and palmetto bugs!

Of course those mutated little critters are prone to carrying flesh eating viruses, or viruses that make you crave flesh. Whichever syntax you prefer, the petting zoo might have turned the Sunshine City into something resembling a film written by Robert Rodriguez, directed by Sam Raimi, starring Steve Guttenberg.

So every second you are not watching that movie unfold, thank Billy Edwards.

Its proposed existence has fueled and provided news outlets with content during the dead season that is Summer in St. Pete. Seriously, on days when there's nothing to write about…write about Sundial…which is totally not what we're doing right now…

Of course without the Sundial many internet trolls would've withered away from snark depravation. Let's keep that incomprehensible Tumblr thread going strong.

This privately funded project did not need to bring retailers and restaurants into the St. Pete fold. It could have been made into yet another large, profitable tower in a peculiar section of downtown consisting of condos and/or office space.

Many of the stores opening in the Sundial have strong connections to Florida, and in the cases of Diamonds Direct and The Shave Cave are directly linked to St. Pete.  While it's not as hyper local as many would like it's got stronger roots than most shopping centers across the country.

For the record Sundial is not Baywalk. Roping in Sundial with the defunct Baywalk strip is like slurping spoiled milk from the bottom of an IHOP kitchen sink and then giving up Dairy Inn Milkshakes. Different stores, different time, different St. Pete.

Listen, we get the skepticism. Opening up a new spot is a risky endeavor for any business to undertake and the immediate prosperity of any new place is unlikely. We're not asking you to be positive or negative, we're just suggesting that maybe you give the Sundial a chance before you turn your back on it. Sundial is not Batfleck after all.