On a whim, I hitchhiked to Escondido, a bustling, crime ridden nexus of prostitution and cheese manufacturing in a few miles north of San Diego.(Ok, it's actually more like Mr. A drove his Honda Civic to Escondido, a sleepy, calm, peaceful, three-street hamlet just north of San Diego -- but wasn't that other opening so much more riveting?)
In any case, as we strolled around this community with his uncle, taking in the sights, I came across something lovely tucked between the other regular buildings: a museum!
It was the Mingei International Museum, which specialized in folk art from around the world. (Mingei, in case you were curious, means folk art. Thanks, Wikipedia!)
We walked past, but a few feet later decided to check it out. I approached the counter to ask about the hours. It was closing in 30 minutes.
Next, I asked if I or we could get in for free, since I have a Bank of America debit card. I'd heard that some museums are free with that card, so I thought I'd try.
Apparently, it only works one day every month -- next weekend. On second thought, we decided not to rush, regardless of the cost, so we prepared to leave.
And just as I turned to leave, the woman behind the counter offered me three passes."Thanks, but we wouldn't use them today," I told her, unsure if the passes were an invitation to take a quick look at the collection anyway.
"Use them anytime!"
Gained: $18 (one student and two adult fares). (This is sort of a lucky break, not a truly and authentically an "asking" according to the terms outlined on Day 1. I didn't ask for 3 free passes, that is. But, I will put it under the amorphous category of collateral gains, since if I hadn't asked about the bank promotion, or hadn't bothered to make that 30 second detour, I wouldn't have gotten anything.)
