SON MIS LOCURAS

I’ve never been a fan of the idea that one should always try to make a good first impression.  Normally, my aversion to this advice is rooted in the fact that those who say it are generally trying to convince me to wear a suit or makeup or be prim and proper and quiet.  It’s for that reason that I found it amusing to think about what the entrances to homes and businesses say about the people who live inside. 

This one has always struck me as odd.  Are the dogs in this Montecito Heights neighborhood supposed to read it and say, “Ooh, that fake dog scares me, stay off that grass.”  Silly people, dogs can’t read.  Just walk across your grass and you’ll see for yourself.

Apparently, animals are popular and even traditional entrances to homes.  Lions, for example, are often put out to symbolize courage.  I suppose the idea is that if you come near a home flanked by lions, you should expect courage and resistance from those inside.  

Such symbolism would seem to be turned on its head if one of the lions flanking the entrance to your home looks like this one seen in Boyle Heights.

Other entrances, are more personal and meaningful. A St. Louis Rams fan in Highland Park reserves his grand entrance for Sundays on which his favorite former L.A. football team plays.  On that day, he decks out his second floor landing, carefully avoiding fumes from the laundry room downstairs.

I feel bad for the guy.  He used to leave his banners and flags out all weekend, but I think someone stole his stuff.  Now he puts them out first thing Sunday morning and puts them away late, late that night.  In addition to having to worry about Rams-loving thieves, his team is really bad.  Today, the Rams lost 15-0, giving them four wins and six losses so far this season. 

Despite the good laugh all of the previous front doors have given me, my favorite “item found outside an entrance” sits outside a drive thru dairy in Lincoln Heights.  This statue raises several questions.  Why is the hot dog draped in a U.S. flag?  Why is the hot dog wearing running shoes?  How did the hot dog lose his right hand?  And, finally, why is the hot dog shooting himself in the head with ketchup?