'Walkable neighborhoods': 20 Luxuries that used to be a sign of poverty

Jesse Kessenheimer • Writer and Editor

Jun 14, 2026 5:45 PM EDT

How do I earn enough money to afford to live in the penthouse suite?

Well, you're probably more likely to stumble upon a time machine that brings you back to an era where you could afford the penthouse. Back in the day, the rich weren't going to walk up a million flights of stairs to reach the top; that was for the poor. The peasants, the paupers, and the help were the ones expected to migrate all the way up 20 flights up stairs to reach the top floor units, leaving the desirable low units to the rich.

Let's all just go back in time for a second to enjoy the little luxuries of today, because the only way we'll ever have a lobster dinner from the top floor suite of a high-rise building is to travel back to the 1800s, before elevators existed and before lobster was more than just a sea rat and a poverty meal.

Apparently, lobster sandwiches are called po'boys for a reason. Once upon a time, lobster was the meal for the peasants and the "poor boys," and it certainly wasn't being charged by Market Rates or $30/pound minimums. Although being in the lower classes is never truly enjoyable, at least if our current selves were able to teleport back to an era we could afford, we could cosplay being rich. What's funny is that the quality of the items never changed; it's just the mindset around them. Penthouses are still penthouses; they just have an elevator and better wallpaper. Lobsters are still sea bugs, but they pair better with a $250 bottle of crisp chardonnay.

If we could just shift the perspective of our current situation maybe we could all stand to enjoy a few luxuries in our lives, regardless of the price tag. Keep scrolling to enjoy this list from Reddit's r/AskReddit sub where people weighed in on the greatest luxuries that were once a sign of poverty. Live life up to the max, folks, because you never know if that Cup of Noodles ramen bowl is going to be worth something one day.