Few San Diego neighborhoods can compete with Hillcrest for the financial gulf between those with means and others with little or none. People pay beaucoup bucks to live and party in what I unaffectionately call Hellcrest, where the homeless camp or roam rampant and the housed sidestep those who aren’t like someone might a piece of dog poop.
Sofa sale at one of the finer furniture boutiques had me laughing on Oct. 13, 2022. I can’t say which is funnier: The 50-percent discount or the original price—both of which you can see in the Featured Image, which I captured using Leica Q2 Monochrom through the display window. Vitals, aperture manually set: f/5.6, ISO 200, 1/100 sec, 28mm; 10:37 a.m. PDT.
Honestly, who spends $12,898 for.a couch? From Carmax, you could buy a 2012 Mitsubishi i-MIEV ES with 40,000 miles for less ($10,998). Meanwhile, Carvana will sell you a 2012 Fiat 500 with 47,774 miles for $12,590. Better used car deals are a mouse click away on Craigslist.
Paying full price ($24,718) for the sofa puts us into new car territory. My local Honda dealer has a 2023 HR-V 2WD LX on the lot right now for $23,650 MSRP. Down the road, Volkswagen has lots of 2023 Jettas to choose from. Let’s go with the Sport for $24,098.
Keep in mind that the couch is discounted so aggressively because it’s a floor sample. Meaning: Somewhere within that store is a sofa the price of a 2023 model car, which probably is more easily financed compared to a piece of furniture!
But the point is something else: In Hillcrest someone will plunk down 25 grand for living room seating, while transients down the way put their cheeks to cement. Hey, just saying.