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But in the Bay Area, it turns out you can get something for nothing. To prove it, we’ve compiled a list of 50 thrifty activities you can enjoy, gratis, in Oakland and beyond. Here’s a year-round guide to where penny pinchers can practice their tarot, gaze at the stars, record a demo, pet a goat, see a blockbuster or just wander the halls of a favorite museum and more, all on the house.
CLASSES AND GROUPS
1
Want to bone up on that senior-year español? Don’t bother looking for Berlitz tapes in the bargain bins. Stop into Diesel, A Bookstore, on the last Wednesday of the month for El Grupito, a Spanish language conversation group that meets at 7:30 p.m.
5433 College Ave., (510) 653-9965, www.diesel.booksense.com.
2
The Rock Paper Scissors Collective hosts a smorgasbord of intriguing, low-stress classes and groups at its Telegraph Avenue storefront, and you can even volunteer to teach one. At press time, RPS was hosting free, twice-monthly bicycle repair workshops and sewing nights. Check online to see what’s going on this month.
2278 Telegraph Ave., (510) 238-9171, www.rpscollective.com.
3
Remember that Salvador Dali tarot deck your college boyfriend gave you? Remember how to use it? I thought not. Well, for more than three years, the Tarot Playgroup has held a monthly event where anyone can learn new spreads and trade readings, and beginners are always welcome. Bring your deck to the Healing Place, near the Ashby BART station, usually the first Sunday of the month, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Donations aren’t required, but RSVPs are.
(510) 282-0491.
CULTURE
4
Most Oaklanders think of the Chabot Space and Science Center as a place to take the kids; but for those of us who have yet to multiply (and for those nights when parents can get a sitter), the observatory’s actually a great place for a cheap date. See, when namesake benefactor Anthony Chabot donated the first of the center’s three telescopes, he did so with the caveat that stargazing be free to the public—and so it is, 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. every Friday and Saturday.
10000 Skyline Blvd., (510) 336-7300, www.chabotspace.org.
5
At William Shakespeare’s storied Globe Theater, the poor folks sat in the pit, and made a ruckus while they took in the Bard’s comedies, tragedies and histories. So much for the good ol’ days: Each summer, the San Francisco Shakespeare Festival presents Free Shakespeare in the Park in Oakland, SF, Pleasanton and Cupertino parks, and the troupe has been doing so since 1983.
(415) 558-0888, www.sfshakes.org.
6
“Oakland, in particular, has a thing I’ve taken to calling Oakland’s Other Outdoor Cinema,” says Illuminated Corridor organizer Suki O’Kane, “a really strong tradition of people taking the cinematic image to the streets and mining that territory in really different ways.” For more straight-up outdoor cinema, check out the Film section below; the Illuminated Corridor, however, is a collaboration of Bay Area filmmakers, media artists, musicians, and sound artists, wherein O’Kane and a volunteer crew of artists curate one-night-only, site-specific installations, projecting on the exterior walls of such venues as The Oakland Metro, Oakland Ironworks and 21 Grand. The series will return in spring 2007.
(510) 553-1977, www.illuminatedcorridor.com.
7
The wine-tasting package is reasonably priced, but by that they sure don’t mean “free”; the food booths offer up better-than-average festival vittles, and charge appropriately; and tickets are sold for kids’ activities (with the money given to charity). But, my friends—BUT. Admission to the Montclair Village Jazz & Wine Festival, happening every September at the foot of the Oakland Hills is free, and so are the myriad of musical performances, which, this year, included Sax Summit, Ray Objedo, Hal Stein and others.
www.montclairvillage.com.
8
The first Friday of each month, as many as a dozen (or more, because the loose-knit coalition keeps growing) downtown Oakland art galleries open new shows, making the Oakland Art Murmur a highly efficient and fun way to see a wide range of art for absolutely free. A great way to check out Oaktown’s underground scene in general. Stop into any participating gallery to pick up a map the night of.
www.oaklandartmurmur.com.
9
You can’t talk about free stuff without talking about the granddaddy of free, the library system. And as is befitting of such a culturally vibrant area, the Oakland Public Library puts other such organizations to shame: Do-it-yourselfers know the Temescal Tool Lending Library, and the main branch offers sheet music, maps and the Oakland History Room. Other library freebies: Adam Mansbach, Elbert “Big Man” Howard, teen anime clubs, grown-up nonfiction book groups, chess tourneys and craft circles. If you’re looking for free, the library’s where you should be.
Main Library, 125 14th St., (510) 238-3134, www.oaklandlibrary.org.
10
Despite what it says on its Web site, Free Second Sundays at the Oakland Museum of California include the entire museum. So, the second Sunday of each month, noon to 5 p.m., it’s not just the permanent collections (the Gallery of California Art, Walk Across California and California: A Place, A People, A Dream) that you can see, but also exhibits like Sports: Breaking Records, Breaking Barriers (through Jan. 6) and California as Muse: The Art of Arthur & Lucia Mathews (through March 25).
1000 Oak St., (510) 238-6614, www.museumca.org.
11
OK, let’s get a few things out of the way here: Yes, the San Francisco Mime Troupe speaks (and sings and satirizes); and no, the legendary collective does not limit its performances to the West Bay. From Lakeside to Mosswood (and, for that matter, from Germany to Cleveland), the SFMT has been presenting at least one new production since 1959. And yes, Virginia, it’s all free.
(415) 285-1717, www.sfmt.org.
12
And, while we’re at it, what is it with all this top-quality, free theater? Woman’s Will’s another prime example—it’s not just the Bay Area’s only all-female Shakespeare company, but it’s also actually one of the area’s best theater companies, gender and genre be damned. And it has started bringing some more contemporary works to the region’s parks in recent years, including Lord of the Flies and work by Bertolt Brecht. Stay tuned to see what 2007’s summer and fall productions will be.
5753 Hermann St., (510) 420-0813, www.womanswill.org.
FILM
13
The family-friendliest of our free movie offerings is the East Bay Regional Park District’s Free Outdoor Movie Nights, offered Saturdays in September (and possibly beyond in 2007). Alternating between Lake Chabot in Castro Valley and Ardenwood in Fremont, the series features arts and crafts and naturalists leading activities associated with the films shown on a large screen. Movies have included Charlotte’s Web, ET and How Green Was My Valley. Dress warmly, and bring a chair and a picnic (or a couple of bucks for snacks). Programs begin at 7:30 p.m.; movie starts at 9 p.m.
www.ebparks.org.
14
Kicked off at the end of 2006, the Independent Lens Community Screening Series is a monthly collaboration between the city, the Oakland Museum of California, the Oakland Film Office, ITVS and KQED-FM, 88.5. On Jan. 17 and thereafter on the first Wednesday of the month, a different documentary will screen in the museum’s James Moore Theatre for free; these films will also be shown later on KQED’s Independent Lens TV show, but you can see them large first, screened with related shorts and followed by panel discussions or other activities, and a reception.
(510)238-4734, www.filmoakland.com.
15
The Oakland Film Office wants big Hollywood to spend its money here, but it’s giving the goods away to residents for free. Old Oakland Outdoor Cinema goes down at the intersection of Ninth and Washington streets downtown on the third Saturdays of the “summer months” (July-October ’round these parts). The series has been screening blockbusters for three years, but in 2006 organizers began showing shorts by local auteurs, before the features start at 8 p.m. Limited seating available, so feel free to bring your own. Free parking at Eighth and Washington.
(510) 238-4734, www.filmoakland.com.
16
Based on the zocalos—town squares—of Central and South America, the Outdoor Cinema Festival kicked off summer 2005 in Fruitvale Village, offering free, weekly outdoor screenings of films for the whole family, shown in English with Spanish subtitles. When summertime rolls back around, bring a blanket or a chair and check out blockbusters like Spiderman, smaller treats such as The Iron Giant and even sentimental favorites like The Goonies.
(510) 535-6926.
17
It’s not often free, but it may as well be. The Parkway Speakeasy Theater’s got a low, low, low regular admission price of $5. Wednesdays are two-for-one (you can even go solo and find a new friend in line, if need be), and they’re wont to have actual free nights, like last year’s audience appreciation series and Buffy singalong episode event. Stay tuned.
1834 Park Blvd., (510) 814-2400, www.parkway-speakeasy.com.
18
Pyramid Brewery makes three (count ’em—three) different flavors of wheat beer, but sometimes, even in the summertime, that isn’t enough. So it gave us the Pyramid Brewery Outdoor Summer Cinema Series, which features classics like Notorious and Young Frankenstein at sundown on summer Saturdays, preceded by live, local music at 7:30 p.m. Sure, they suggest a donation (to Epic Arts) of $5 at the door, but that’s why they call it a suggestion, yo.
901 Gilman St., Berkeley, (510) 528-9880, www.pyramidbrew.com.
KIDS
19
The East Bay Regional Park District has a lot of free stuff going on, but one of the best is its program of Family Fun Nights. Maybe it’s the lemonade they give out for free, alongside the naturalist-led interpretive programs and arts and crafts going on at a different park every Thursday, June through August.
www.ebparks.org.
20
It’s not the most fun thing to do, but it is important: Kerry’s Kids rolls doctors around Oakland and Berkeley in a mobile health van, providing checkups, immunizations, health education, Head Start screenings and more to kids, free. Parents, bring your child’s yellow immunization card, and you’re set to go.
(847) 362-3486, info@kerryskids.org, www.kerryskids.org.
21
Most branches of the Oakland Public Library host seasonally themed, weekly Storytimes for preschoolers, toddlers, and the entire family. And the only thing you need to bring is a lap.
www.oaklandlibrary.org/links/kids/index.html.
22
Though the animal lending library at Hayward’s Sulphur Creek Wildlife Rehabilitation Center isn’t free—you’ll have to drop 10 bucks for a weeklong test run with a guinea pig, hamster, rat or mouse—much of the rest of the conservation-centric facility is open to the empty-pocketed. Kids can check out reptiles, fish, frogs and more in the Discovery Center, see birds and mammals in the enclosures outside and learn how to make a butterfly-friendly garden at the Plant It and They Will Come exhibit.
1801 D. St., Hayward, (510) 881-6747, www.hard.dst.ca.us/sulphur_creek.html.
23
Tilden Park’s Nature Area embodies one of the best things about living in this part of California: ecological diversity. Kids feel like they’re in a fantasy world as they meander through 740 acres of lakefront, eucalyptus and chaparral, stopping at the Little Farm to feed the animals and the Environmental Education Center (open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays, except for certain holidays) to peer through kid-friendly microscopes and make arts and crafts with the naturalists.
(510) 525-2233, www.ebparks.org/parks/tna.htm.
MUSIC
24
Acoustic guitar? Check. Engineer friend? Well, not really. Pro Tools? Umm ... don’t sweat it. Liam Carey’s here for you on the last Sunday of every month when he holds Ace of Spades Records from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Mama Buzz Cafe and Buzz Gallery. Named for the award-winning live music series he inaugurated there in 2005, Carey’s new offering is a lo-fi recording studio for anyone who wants to drop by, sign up and record 20 minutes of material; Carey will edit it with Pro Tools and get you a CD within the week.
liam@e14records.com, www.MamaBuzzCafe.com.
25
West Alameda Business Association hosts another Concerts at the Cove summer series in 2007—second Fridays, June through August. Past performers at the foot of McKay and Central avenues at Alameda’s Crab Cove have included Will Bernard and Motherbug, Amigos, Radio Noise, Tempest, the Alameda All Stars and Napata and the Chocolate Kisses. Blanket-bringing is encouraged for these evening shows, and free bike valet parking is available through Bike Alameda.
(510) 523-5955, www.westalamedabusiness.com/events, www.bikealameda.org.
26
The 3.5-acre rooftop garden on top of the Kaiser Center’s parking structure is one of the city’s sweetest free treats all on its own, with a reflecting pond, fountains, lawns, curving paths, views of downtown and beyond, rotating annuals and a multitude of benches. But in the summer, you can also enjoy the Kaiser Center Rooftop Garden Series, free concerts (usually jazz or blues) from noon to 1 p.m. every Friday.
www.kaisercenter.com.
27
The Starry Plough is an Irish pub that hasn’t lost sight of its roots. Sunday night’s Starry Session is an open mic for traditional Irish music, hosted by Shay Black (8 p.m. to 11 p.m.); and, at Berkeley Irish Dance and Ceili Mondays, you can learn to dance starting at 7 p.m. and get your jog on for reals starting at 9 p.m. Oh, and have we mentioned that they’re both free?
301 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley, (510) 841-2082, www.starryploughpub.com.
28
If you don’t feel like hunting down the Kaiser Rooftop Garden, you can still lunch to a sunny beat at Summer Sounds, City Center Plaza’s free concert series, happening noon to 1 p.m. every Wednesday from June through August. Check out the usual fare of rock and jazz, plus some rarer offerings, like sea shanties, Zydeco and bluegrass.
www.oaklandcitycenter.com/events.
OPEN MIC ROUND UP
29
At Dorsey’s Locker on the first and third Tuesday of each month, jus’BEA hosts The Blue Candle, an open mic for poets and spoken-word artists. Admission and sign-up are free, but if you’ve got stage fright, there’s always the $2 shots of 1800 tequila. 6:30 p.m.
5817 Shattuck Ave., (510) 428-1935.
30
For the softer spoken (or perhaps those with better projection range), there’s the Nomad No-Mic, an acoustic poetry/spoken-word event every Thursday at Nomad Cafe. Sign-up starts at 6:30 p.m., and the event begins with open readings at 7 p.m., followed by a featured reader and culminates with more readers from the sign-up sheet.
6500 Shattuck Ave., (510) 595-5344, www.NomadCafe.net.
31
If you should find yourself browsing the locally owned shops of East Oakland’s Eastmont Center and having something to say about it afterward, sign up at the House of Unity’s Poetic Groove open mic, hosted by Cassandra, Indigo and Jim Martin. Every Friday starting at 7:30 p.m.
(510) 430-9931.
32
Poetry ensemble Tres Santos hosts Poetry Diversified on the first and third Tuesdays of the month at World Ground Café in the Glenview neighborhood. The event starts at 7:30 p.m. and goes ’till 9 p.m., with an open reading and featured guests.
3726 MacArthur Blvd., (510) 482-2933, www.worldgrounds.com.
33
And finally, if you just can’t be serious and all intense for one minute more, try a different kind of open mic—Wild Wednesday Comedy at Temescal Cafe. Big Reg and Nelson Martini host the event starting at 7:30 p.m. every Wednesday.
4920 Telegraph Ave., (510) 595-4102, www.temescalcafe.com.
SPORTS AND OUTDOORS
34
Hey, Oaklanders with dogs: Did you know there’s a whole world of junk sculpture and urban weirdness to be discovered at the Albany Bulb? And, hey, all you jetty-climbers and path-followers: Did you know there’s a dog beach at the Albany Bulb? The reclaimed landfill is a two-sided wonder, and many people who have been going there for years have no clue what the park holds.
North of Golden Gate Fields.
35
Well, it’s about time: Oakland has its own Critical Mass bike ride. Yep, the first Friday of each month, you’re invited to posse up at Frank Ogawa Plaza at 6 p.m. (near the BART entry), meet some folks and take off a-touring when enough riders have amassed.
www.critical-mass.org.
36
Bless Oakland’s heart, one of Oakland’s first tourist attractions is a free one—Lake Merritt. And the lake itself is home to many firsts, like the nation’s first state game refuge and its first three-dimensional theme park for kids. And from Fairyland to the boathouse, Lakeshore’s shops to downtown’s bustle, the lake’s 3-mile perimeter can be traversed in an hour or so. When the necklace of lights comes on at dusk, it’s truly magical. And that strong, sweet smell that wafts up from the water at certain points? It’s called curry plant. In case you’ve ever wondered.
37
Sometimes a bike ride’s just a bike ride. For two decades, the Oakland Yellowjackets Bicycle Club has been making bicycling fun for riders of all ages, races, genders and skill levels. The club’s no-drop policy means that no participant gets left behind. Riders must wear a helmet, carry photo identification and emergency information and sign a waiver at the start of each ride.
www.oaklandyellowjackets.org.
38
Yoga is tricky business, and I’m not just talking about wrapping parts around other parts that haven’t necessarily ever seen one another—I’m talking about trying to develop a practice on the cheap. Like so many good-for-you things, it’s both hard to do regularly without prompting, and next to impossible to do inexpensively. Of course, something does live next to impossible: Donation only. Every Tuesday, the Temescal Arts Center hosts Yoga with Morgan from 9 a.m. to 10:15 a.m., on a donation-only basis.
511 48th St., (510) 847-1449, (510) 923-1074, www.temescalartscenter.org.
TOURS
39
Get your exercise and your learn on at the same time with two-hour, 5-mile Bike Tours of Oakland, presented by the Oakland Museum of California on the third Sunday of the summer months, generally May or June through October. Meet up with museum docents at the 10th Street entrance to go on largely flat, 5-mile to 8-mile-tours through “Historical Oakland,” the Lake Merritt area, Fruitvale, the Victorian house-laden streets of West Oakland and more—but be sure and make a reservation first!
(510) 238-3514, jcollignon@museumca.org.
40
Take a day trip to the revolutionary ’60s and beyond on a Black Panther Tour, a historical bus trip to the original site of the free breakfast program, the homes of Huey P. Newton, Bobby Seale, David Hilliard, Bobby Hutton, the party’s office building, Newton’s murder site, various shootout locations and more.
(510) 986-0660, www.blackpanthertours.com.
41
Every May, the Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour offers access to some 60 pesticide-free, wildlife-friendly, conservation-minded, and, of course, native plant-filled Bay Area gardens. Register early to guarantee your space and receive the guide to this one-day, self-guided adventure, which includes more than 40 free talks.
www.bringingbackthenatives.net.
42
Give yourself a seven-month course in Oaktown history and architecture, with a little help from the city: From May to October, Wednesdays and Saturdays at 10 a.m., enjoy eight different, 90-minute-long Downtown Oakland Walking Tours. Study the contrast between City Center’s turn-of-the-century landmarks and modern high-rises; check out Chinatown, the waterfront and a number of churches and temples. Reservations are recommended but not required.
(510) 238-3234, www.oaklandnet.com/government/cmo/walkingTours.
43
The original mansion on the Dunsmuir Historic Estate was built in 1899 by a coal baron for his wife, but he died on their honeymoon, and she followed him just two years later. From these tragic beginnings, the 50-acre East Oakland estate has changed hands several times over, been featured in several movies (including So I Married an Ax Murderer and A View to a Kill), and is now run by a nonprofit dedicated to preserving it. You can tour the grounds free 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays. Maps available at Dinkelspiel House.
2960 Peralta Oaks Court, (510) 615-5555, www.dunsmuir.org.
44
Pretend you’re Charlie in the chocolate factory and make a reservation—it’s required—for an hour-long Scharffen Berger Factory Tour. You’ll learn about the whens, wheres, whys and hows of cacao and chocolate, then walk around the Berkeley facility, provided you’re age 10 or older. (You know how the little ones can be around all that candy.)
914 Heinz Ave., Berkeley, (510) 981-4066, www.scharffenberger.com.
45
Or, have a more grown-up culinary experience at Berkeley’s Takara Sake Tasting Room. Sample sakes (including sweet, creamy, unfiltered Nigori), shochu, and plum wines; marvel at the reclaimed lumber and the granite floor tiles containing glass recycled from booze and other bottles and visit the sake museum containing artifacts, implements and historical exhibits. Both are open to the public every day from noon to 6 p.m.
708 Addison St., Berkeley, (510) 540-8250, ext. 120, www.takarasake.com.
OVER THERE
46
Once a month, City Kayak offers a free trip along the SF waterfront, usually on the first Tuesday. These four-hour tours fill up fast, so reserve your spot as soon as the itinerary is posted online. Then, all you have to do is pack your lunch, waterproof camera and spare dry clothes—City Kayak provides an enclosed kayak, gear, paddling lesson, safety briefing and trip guides.
(415) 357-1010, www.citykayak.com.
47
May the music gods bless Warren Hellman. Every year he puts on one of the Bay Area’s best music festivals (and that’s really saying something), Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, in Golden Gate Park. Multiple stages of performers representing every branch of the roots music tree, from honky-tonk to rockabilly to blues to singer-songwriter to yes, bluegrass; and every strata of fame, from Freakwater to the North Mississippi All-Stars to Alejandro Escovedo to Calexico to Elvis Costello to Dolly Parton. Not to mention the annuals: Emmylou Harris and Gillian Welch. And it’s so free they don’t even sell beer, so bring your own. And plan to spend the whole day.
www.hardlystrictlybluegrass.com.
48
Once a year, the Chronicle and San Francisco Opera present Opera in the Park, the perfect free buffet of arias and excerpts from the company’s upcoming fall season. What a way to get turned on to opera—it’s in September, the perfect time for a picnic and some musically enhanced stargazing.
(415) 861-4008, www.sfopera.com.
49
Mid-June through mid-August, there’s no better place to see the performing arts than Stern Grove. Every Sunday at 2 p.m., the aptly named, tree-lined amphitheater hosts ballet and Zydeco, ska, bossa nova and just about everything in between (including, in 2006, Aimee Man and the Rebirth Brass Band). Get there early to get your choice of shady or sunny, unobstructed or picnicky; and check the Web site in May for this year’s lineup.
(415) 252-6252, www.sterngrove.org.
50
Pretty much every one of SF’s big museums have monthly free days, especially at the start of the month. Two of my favorites are (surprise!) in Golden Gate Park, and are both free the first Tuesday of the month: the Conservatory of Flowers and the deYoung. And this ain’t no secret—look up your favorite museum online, and on the schedule and admission price page, it should tell you when their free day is.
www.conservatoryofflowers, www.deyoungmuseum.org.
