Tiptoe through the typos:​ ​Lowlights from the first 2 decades of Only in LA


Beginning with a traffic report (hey, this is LA).

​O​ne day, several years ago, motorists on the 405 were surprised to discover that they were headed in the direction of...Baker-what? Apparently during a changeover of signs, a Caltrans worke​r ​pulled ​the wrong placard out of the bin. ​

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Which also explains why, as you've no doubt been told many times, ​if there is a "Bakermento" there must also be a...​ You guessed it.​

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Meanwhile, another errant sign on the Harbor Freeway probably confirmed Easterners' suspicions about LA

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But, really​,​ LA cares. Perhaps too much at times

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And the Los "Angles" typo was an innocent oversight, just like the seemingly Worst Dining Offer of All Time, made by a downtown LA hotel

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Or the attack on the innocent burg of Ontario by one travel web site.​ Sorry about that!

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Oh, sure there were plenty of typos​ out there​ — cream cheese on your vehicle, sir?

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Roadside violence seemed to be on the increase, at least in classified ads

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Some oddities only appeared to be typos — at two apartments in Palms, for example — where ​management has a sense of humor. No it ain't supposed to say CAPRI

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Then there was the apparent lack of good taste at a Hancock Park estate wh​ose owner shocked neighbors, and much of the rest of humanity, by pasting happy faces on his front wall

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Actually, the owner was just having some fun; he was about to have his house painted — and the faces came down, their smiles undimmed.


The public's preoccupation with car chases was satirized by Critters, a ​one-time ​Hermosa Beach bar

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But if you just couldn't take any more of the 405, there ​were other options

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OK, that ​one ​seemed a bit extreme. How about taking a bit of time off? I hear that Bakermento is beautiful this time of the year.

Or perhaps you could consult your insurance agent

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Steve Harvey's Only in LA column originated in the Los Angeles Times and now appears occasionally at LA Observed. Steve can be reached at steveharvey9@gmail.com or on Twitter @sharvey9.


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