The free box
Seven ways to say "nobody else wanted it"

IT USED TO be San Francisco abounded in free boxes, in much the same way San Francisco used to abound in squinty-eyed prospectors with pickaxes. In the late '60s the city was drunk on free stores, free love, free clinics, and yes, small cardboard bastions of that which may not be wanted but is nonetheless free for the taking. Those days are no longer with us, but some noble stragglers remain. Here are seven of them.

1.-2. CELLspace and Mission Village Art Farm and Flea Market The first box is discreetly tucked away near CELLspace's recycling. Peeking inside one day we found a copy of Affordable Weddings, a bamboo rice steamer, and a pair of sweatpants scissored off at the knees – perfect, if we'd wanted to get married, affordably, in a pair of sawed-off sweatpants and provide steamed rather than dried rice for people to throw at us. Another free box is located at the Saturday market. CELLspace, 2050 Bryant; market, Florida between 18th and 19th Sts., S.F.

3.-4. Dog-Eared Books and Phoenix Books and Records These bookstores provide a near-constant source of interesting free reading, such as some thinly disguised Johnson and Johnson propaganda about two children who indiscriminately apply Band-Aids to everything. Dog-Eared, 900 Valencia, S.F.; Phoenix, 3850 24th St., S.F.

5. People's Park UC Berkeley has several times tried to do away with this one, but the box has staying power. On a recent rainy day, four or five people stood around lackadaisically sifting through its contents. We spied a pair of white leather children's mukluks. Next to us a man speculatively tried to fit a pair of underpants over his bicycle seat as we watched admiringly. Haste near Telegraph, Berk.

6. Scott Munson If you're in San Francisco long enough, sooner or later a very earnest fellow will come up and hand you a flyer crammed with tree-related sentiments. This is an immutable law of nature, as Scott Munson, "that 'Plant Native Trees' guy," is a man-about-town and a man with many flyers. He's also our honorary free box at large, because he frequently bears organic produce too. And if he thinks you know enough about biodiversity, he might give you a wee seedling.

7. Rainbow Grocery Yes, the free box at Rainbow is full of, well, boxes. But these are nifty, solid boxes that haven't held anything stinky and are therefore perfect for packing your collection of Dresden shepherdesses. 1745 Folsom, S.F.