It’s no secret that the Bay Area is the most expensive metropolitan area in the United States. It’s also no secret that it’s home to all sorts of exciting adventures that you can take, even on a budget. With this week’s picks, all guaranteed to cost $15 or less to experience, you can take advantage of the bougie-ness implied by the phrase “most expensive metropolitan area in the world” without actually feeling the weight of it in your wallet.
Anytime: Grab some macarons from Masse’s Pastries
Everyone knows that there are few things as luxurious as treating yourself to delicious macarons with your afternoon coffee. The good news is that with Masse’s Pastries’ rotating selection of macaron flavors — from the traditional strawberry and vanilla to the more adventurous kumquat and roasted sesame — this simple luxury will never get old. If you really want to treat yourself, try one of the pastry shop’s larger cakes, tarts or cookies. While it’s hard to know exactly what treats will be available at the shop on any given day, one thing is for sure: It’ll be delicious!
Wednesday: Magic Magic Show Show at Doc’s Lab
Magic often lies in mystery, and what could be more mysterious than a magic show that reveals nothing about itself to potential viewers besides its freedom from the typical trappings of a magic show? Join Bradmagic and Andrew Evans — product designers by day, magicians by night — as they put on what’s guaranteed to be the most unconventional magic show of your life. Just make sure you’re prepared for the ridiculous and the unexplainable. During the show, you may even want to sample one of the venue’s famous cocktails of gourmet snacks crafted by a chef from the upscale 15 Romolo bar. ($5)
Thursday: “The Lobster” at California Theatre
It’s basically an objective fact that nothing will ever embody glitz, glamour and the beauty of snobbery in the same way that the Cannes Film Festival does. Now, you can experience a piece of this glitz, glamour and snobbery without ever leaving Berkeley when you watch this Palme d’Or competitor at the California Theatre. Start your week with a healthy dose of absurdity by following recent divorcé David (played by Colin Farrell) as he spends 45 days trapped inside a hotel trying to find the new love of his life, knowing fully well that if he fails, he will be transformed into a lobster. It may seem bizarre for a dystopian society to have fallen because it placed too high of an emphasis on love of all things, but if there’s one thing that Yorgos Lanthimos’ “The Lobster” has no trouble doing, that’s being bizarre. ($8.50 with student discount)
Friday: The Ocean After Nature Opening Night Party at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
The opportunity to live out your dream of living the extravagant life of a chic urbanite who gets to visit new art exhibits on opening night without paying extravagant prices has finally presented itself. The Opening Night Party for the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts’ new The Ocean After Nature features four different musical performances, ocean-inspired cocktails and, of course, a chance to see the new exhibit, which explores the consequences that rapid globalization can have on the ocean, before anyone else. Don’t forget to buy your ticket online in advance! ($12 online; $15 at the door)
