By Steve Harvey
Halloween won't be a special day for the Museum of Death in Hollywood.
"We do Halloween every day of the year," explained owner J.D. Healy, referring to his collection of gory crime and accident photos, paintings by mass murderers, and autopsy and mortician instruments, among other treasures.
Even the living exhibits are a bit out of the ordinary. Take the 15-year-old Siamese twin turtles, Eng and Chang (named in honor of the Siamese twins that traveled with P.T. Barnum's circus).
Said Healy: "They love to pose for pictures."
Still, the museum ($15 admission fee with free parking) isn't for everyone, Healy acknowledges.
Visitors are initially shown a "tester photo" of a crash scene to see if they still want to go inside. Occasionally some misjudge how strong their stomachs are.
``We've had seven faint in the last week," Healy said. ``We call them our 'falling down ovations.'"
---
And, from the Only in L.A vault
Some delightful shots to get you in the Halloween spirit in case you're not ready to browse in the Museum of Death:
---A mortuary and a nearby store taking the same approach, snapped by Shawn Chanslor.
Halloween won't be a special day for the Museum of Death in Hollywood.
"We do Halloween every day of the year," explained owner J.D. Healy, referring to his collection of gory crime and accident photos, paintings by mass murderers, and autopsy and mortician instruments, among other treasures.
Even the living exhibits are a bit out of the ordinary. Take the 15-year-old Siamese twin turtles, Eng and Chang (named in honor of the Siamese twins that traveled with P.T. Barnum's circus).
Said Healy: "They love to pose for pictures."
Still, the museum ($15 admission fee with free parking) isn't for everyone, Healy acknowledges.
Visitors are initially shown a "tester photo" of a crash scene to see if they still want to go inside. Occasionally some misjudge how strong their stomachs are.
``We've had seven faint in the last week," Healy said. ``We call them our 'falling down ovations.'"
---
And, from the Only in L.A vault
Some delightful shots to get you in the Halloween spirit in case you're not ready to browse in the Museum of Death:
---A mortuary and a nearby store taking the same approach, snapped by Shawn Chanslor.
---A vehicle that makes no bones about its cargo, from Joe Garofalo.
---
Carmageddon 3?
Moving on to traffic horrors, I found a 1985 sci fi mystery, written by Ron Goulart, that depicts a deserted 10 freeway (is that a traffic reporter overhead?).
But if you're superstitious, don't worry. The book is set in the year 2004. And everyone knows that the 10 has never been shut down. Well, except for that stretch after the 1994 Northridge quake.
---
Dueling signs:
On the web site of KTLA (Channel 5), Don Bentley of La Puente noticed a space shuttle story paired with an ad for a different kind of shuttle.
+1.jpg)
---
But what about Lois Lane?
In a Lakewood store, Gordon Snead of Long Beach spotted a restroom where Clark Kent and the Man of Steel are welcome to change outfits.
---
Waving to the occupants is discouraged
Posters at various Metro Rail stations picture different tourist sites around town, including one with very narrow windows. It's the Twin Towers Correctional Facility
---
Who says L.A. has no history?
Take a look at the plaque displayed by a Wienerschnitzel outlet in Wilmington. You'll notice it sports the old name, using "Der." Many years ago, "Der" was dropped after diners pointed out that the correct grammatical modifier would be "Das." Darn.
---
Speaking of meat
An eatery on Wilshire Boulevard seems to be offering a different kind of ingredient in its sushi.
---
miscelLAny:
Jeanne Barney says no matter how many times she's reminded her favorite Mexican restaurant, the owners won't fix a typo on the menu. It offers "Hard Sell Tortilla." Maybe it's a reference to the economy.
Steve Harvey may be reached at steveharvey9@gmail.com. His Twitter handle is @sharvey9.
