The other evening La Bethulia and La Maya invited me to join them for dinner and then to do the rounds of First Friday, a sprawling monthly open house for galleries and studios in the downtown arts district. Interestingly, they invited a particularly charming friend along—let’s call him Bob ;-)—and we headed off for an Asian bistro on the west side of the Valley.
Since, contrary to the weather prediction, it wasn’t raining, we drove back into town for the large, unruly art walk. So many people were packed into downtown, we couldn’t find a place to park, so we went up to a midtown historic area called the Melrose district, which also houses a few galleries and antique stores. This area, running down for years, is beginning to gentrify as Phoenix’s answer to Seattle’s Capitol Hill. We managed to park close to a gallery right in the heart of Melrose, where we found some amazing found-art sculptures, including a nifty abstract agave, and one really very nice painting that both Bob and I were taken by.
From there we drifted across the street to an aging strip mall where a large drum circle had gathered. By the time we got there, after 9:00 p.m., they were going strong. Athletic young (and some not-so-young) belly dancers were joined by onlookers who frolicked in the street. At least one was teaching belly-dance moves to a few girl children, very entertaining.
It was a fun time, and—except for the modest cost of dinner—it didn’t lighten our wallets. First Fridays are free, though of course one is tempted to buy art, jewelry, and kitsch at the galleries.
One thing that’s clear: in retirement (or unemployment) a crucial trick is to find inexpensive or free entertainment. There’s a lot of it out there. Most of us think we have to pony up cash to be entertained. But that’s not always so.
Saturday morning we came across a club of bicyclists riding in groups through the pleasant desert and upscale neighborhoods of far north Scottsdale: an altogether free activity once you have the bike.
And the community colleges here are alive with inexpensive or outright free events, from the athletic to the theatric. Check out these possibilities:
• Complementary admission days or evenings at city museums
• High-school and community college athletic events
• Meetup.com
• Art walks through gallery or studio districts
• Bicycling and hiking groups
• Church- or synagogue-related activities
• City Parks & Recreation programs
We don’t have to be job-free to develop an interest in frugal entertainment. What do you do for low-cost (preferably free!) fun?