Mental note: Pay attention. Observe. Don’t assume. Now for an admission: I made a misidentification. On Nov. 25, 2020, I used a commercial sign to illustrate an analysis about SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2)/COVID-19 lockdowns precipitating permanent pub and restaurant closures in San Diego. I thought an “a” had dropped off from “Eat’s”, on signage pointing to a presumedly closed eatery down an industrial alley/street in Hillcrest.
As the Featured Image reveals, looking from the other side, the correct spelling is “Eli’s”, referring to Eli Vigderson’s European Car Repairs. Part of the “l” has fallen away. What I thought was a “t” is instead a full letter and part of another. I got to wondering about the sign, after posting “Got Mini?” two days ago; the roadster was parked at an auto shop.
So yesterday, while walking an errand, I deliberately passed by the location and realized my mistake. But we must put aside spelling snafus and discuss a vehicle glimpsed in the first photo that is subject of the companion—a, gasp, red Rolls Royce Convertible. They make those?
I normally would ask what normal American could afford one. But with San Diego housing prices and rentals reaching new highs, and the wealth matrix rapidly rising, surely someone(s) could buy and drive such a ridiculously loud status symbol. And in this day of Instagram and TikTok influencers, the owner could be driving on a learner’s permit. Hey, just speculating.
Photo vitals, aperture manually set: f/8, ISO 100, 1/400 sec, 28mm; 2:32 p.m. PST. The other is the same but 1/250 sec. Both come from Leica Q2.