Freebies don’t necessarily fall at your feet unless you’re a celebrity or have friends in very high places. Ironically, the people who benefit the most from giveaways are regular folks, including students, rather than the glamorous elites. So in order to enjoy a day without burdening your wallet, check out these free goodies around the Bay Area.
Start your Monday mornings off right with free bagels in SF’s Mission District. Danny Gabriner of La Victoria Bakery gives away hundreds of free bagels every Monday starting around at 9 a.m. Handmade and freshly boiled, the bagels usually run out by 3 p.m. True to Gabriner’s altruistic ethos, the bagels are offered to anyone and everyone.
If you like breaking out of the norm, head over to Curry Without Worry stationed at San Francisco’s Civic Center at Hyde and Fulton. There’s not only an abundance of free Nepalese Curry with many vegetarian offers but live music as well. The event, held every Tuesday, is free, but donations are welcome from those who can afford to pitch in a few extra dollars.
For those 21 and over, happy hours at bars should never be underestimated. Palio D’Asti, near the Montgomery BART stop in San Francisco, offers free pizza if you grab two drinks from 4 to 7 p.m and there’s six varieties of firewood pizzas to chose from.
If you’re not looking for an Italian fix, head to Berkley’s King Tsin where happy hour is everyday from 4-7 p.m. and features free wonton noodles, meatballs and spring rolls.
While free food does the body well, free books will aid the mind. The Bay Area Book Exchange happens every weekend from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on San Pablo in El Cerrito, about five miles north of the UC Berkeley campus. One person can select up to 100 books from the thousands of books on the shelves. It’s not necessary to bring in books to exchange but donations are encouraged. The program has given out over 140,000 free books since its beginning in 2009.
Every first Tuesday of the month, various museums in the Bay Area offer free admissions, a great deal considering that some usually cost up to $20 to get in. Just some of the museums offering free admissions are the De Young Museum, Legion of Honor, Conservatory of Flowers, Cartoon Art Museum, SF MOMA, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts and Camerawork Museum.
With all of the free deals available in the Bay Area dedicated to foods and activities there’s always something to do that you may not have otherwise known about.
