Get Out: It's your birthday

Today is Sidekick's first birthday.

For one year it's been your guide to a better day, the place to find comics and Suduko and fun stuff to do.

In honor of the section's big day, I spent my own birthday two weeks ago finding out what you can get for free on your birthday in and around the Hub.

Turns out, you can get plenty of stuff just by showing proof that you've made it through another year. And by stuff, I mostly mean ice cream.

9:30 a.m.

I started my day with a free car wash. ScrubaDub (www.scrubadub.com), offers anyone celebrating a birthday a free basic wash, a $9 value. I visited the Brookline 'Dub, where employees hang stuffed animals in the wash bay. They spiffed up my pollen-covered sedan at no cost, and offered (at cost) to clean the inside of my crumb-and-coffee-covered car. Yes, my vehicle smelled like bad blueberry muffins and half-and-half, but I moved on. I was focused only on what was free. And I needed breakfast.

10:15 a.m.

My first free snack of the day was at Baskin-Robbins (www.baskinrobbins.com/bdayclub). The ice cream chain offers a free 2.5-ounce cup or cone to anyone celebrating a birthday -- all you have to do is sign up online ahead of time. Employees at the Theater District location admitted they didn't know about the offer and had never seen a birthday coupon before, but they honored my request nonetheless. They suggested I go for Oreo, but because it seemed too early for chocolate, I went with vanilla. They even threw in some rainbow sprinkles.

12:30 p.m.

After an ice cream breakfast, it was time for lunch. I cabbed down to Dick's Last Resort (www.dickslastresort.com) in Faneuil Hall, where you get a free dessert with the purchase of a meal on your birthday. I had a chicken salad to cancel out the ice cream, then ordered an ``obscene chocolate brownie," which was big enough for three and was served to me topped with blazing matchbooks. Dick's promises entertainment -- and that's what I got. My waiter brought over sailors who were sitting at a nearby table, and I was forced to wear a balloon-topped paper hat that said ``It's my birthday. I'm only 19," which, of course, I'm not. If you call ahead to Dick's and tell the staff you're coming to celebrate a birthday, they'll decorate a table in your honor. (Mine was made pretty with several issues of Sidekick taped to a sign.)

2 p.m.

Next up: more ice cream. At Cold Stone Creamery (www.coldstonecreamery.com/Birthday), the gourmet ice cream spot where employees sing (sometimes dreadfully) when you tip them, you can get a coupon for a free medium-size ice cream, a $5 value, by signing up online. I chose to visit the new Cold Stone on Cambridge Street and picked an appropriate flavor, the ``birthday cake remix," which is cake-batter-flavored ice cream with rainbow sprinkles, a brownie, and fudge. I tipped and was serenaded with a moderately irritating yet endearing birthday song that included the lines: ``Good news is we sing for free, bad news is we sing off key." It was the truth.

3 p.m.

After the snack, I traveled up Beacon Hill to Charles Street Supply (www.charlesstsupply.com), a shop that has been around since 1948 and claims to be the city's oldest hardware store. For three years, owner Jack Gurnon has made his customers free house keys on their birthdays -- just because. Anyone can take advantage of the offer, and usually, he doesn't require ID -- he just remembers faces. I didn't get my key because I had valet-parked my car, keys inside (aging affects the brain). Gurnon, a nice guy, gave me a coupon to redeem on another day.

3:30 p.m.

My sweet tooth acting up again, I traveled to the Hard Rock Cafe (www.hardrock.com) in the Back Bay. There, birthday revelers get a free ice cream sundae, and, more importantly, flair -- a free birthday pin featuring a cake decorated with a flaming guitar. Getting these treats required some work -- staffers forced me to stand on a chair for some public humiliation, which included an announcement of my name and my age. The crowd was supportive.

4:30 p.m.

I ended the day with some much-needed tranquility. The Carriage House Salon (www.carriagehousesalon.com) in Harvard Square offers birthday boys and girls 25 percent off a half-hour massage (regularly $45). Employees also spoil birthday guests with a take-home basket of beauty products. I left with free travel-size bottles of Curlisto hair products and holistic skin care creams that, presumably, minimize the signs of aging. The staff soothed me with chamomile tea and let me grab at dishes of candy. It was the right way to begin a new year -- rubbed down, relaxed, and full of sugar -- and I barely had to touch my wallet. Who says you can't get something for nothing?

Meredith Goldstein's column on going out runs every Tuesday. E-mail her at mgoldstein@globe.com.

More free stuff

Here are other goods, services, and sweets you can get free on your birthday. Most require proof of date of birth or online registration:

West on Centre in West Roxbury gives children a free meal on their birthdays. www.westoncentreboston.com

IParty gives children free balloons if they sign up at any iParty location ahead of time. www.iparty.com

Potpourri Designs, a clothing store with locations around the state, sends you a birthday card with a $10 coupon if you register to be in the store's database. 781-235-0096.

Indulgence Day Spa in Lexington gives you a manicure kit if you come if for nail services on your big day. www.indulgencedayspa.com

Boston Beer Works sends you a $10 gift certificate on your birthday if you sign up for the restaurant's online newsletter. www.beerworks.net

Giacomo & Rondi sends registered clients a birthday gift in the mail. At the moment, it's an Aveda tea light candle. www.giacomoandrondi.com

Incredible Tan in Newton offers you a free spray tan on your birthday. 617-969-4555

Blimpie sends you a coupon for a free six-inch sandwich or wrap if you register online. www.lovemyblimpie.com

The Irving House and Harding House B&Bs give each birthday guest a 12 percent discount on a room and a goodie bag with small treats such as Dancing Deer cookies, playing cards, and a travel clock. www.irvinghouse.com.