Barking About an Ex-Resident

Mark Shipper notes that the publication Radio & Records says that at one of Madonna’s former estates in L.A., this sign was posted: “Madonna No Longer Lives Here. Dogs Attack at the Command Word ‘Madonna.’ ”

This reminded real estate agent Barry Peele of a notice displayed at the onetime residence of another actress who was well known as an animal lover.

Peele recalled that it said “something to the effect, ‘Please don’t leave any stray animals at the door. Doris Day doesn’t live here anymore.’ ”

*

CATCH OF THE DAY: The Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific has its grand opening Saturday--or, since this is an aquarium, perhaps “debut” would be a more appropriate word than “opening.”

Anyway, this is a good time to observe a moment of silence for Long Beach’s first marine life exhibit, Minnie, a 65-foot-long whale found dead and floating near the shore more than 100 years ago.

The late Minnie became the city’s first tourist attraction. And a profitable one, inasmuch as the city paid a reported $600 to her captors (employees of a house-moving company who roped her and pulled her to shore), compared to the millions that have been sunk into the Queen Mary. “People came from miles around to view this unusual sight and the railroads ran special ‘Whale Excursions’ for the benefit of sightseers,” one historical publication says.

Her skeletal remains were eventually moved to the Piene Avenue Pier, and she was on display at various venues for more than 50 years. In the 1970s, her skeleton was donated to the L.A. County Museum of Natural History, where it was put in a storage facility.

I say we rename the aquarium in honor of Minnie. Or Madonna.

*

NO JOKES ABOUT LONG BEACH BEING DEAD: In a somewhat related item, L. Tremont noticed this entry in Cal State Long Beach’s “Campus Tours” newsletter: “Jordan High School students interested in medicine went on a tour of the cadaver labs.”

*

TRAVELERS ADVISORY: Southern California is not alone, of course, in displaying potholed, barely navigable roads, as this photo by Skip Perry of Upland illustrates. He snapped it in Kauai, Hawaii, a while back and hasn’t returned to see whether the road crews have fixed the problems.

*

MORE NOMS DU PAVE: Streets bearing intriguing names are still flowing into Only in L.A. Central, including:

* Daydream Way in Valencia, where Michael Stikich bought a house. He’s retired, naturally.

* McDonald Street in Westminster, which has a Jack in the Box and a Burger King but no sign of Ronald you-know-who (submitted by Clyde Primm).

* Unida Place (as in “you need a place”), which intersects with previously mentioned Haveteur Way in San Diego (thanks to Marjorie Chase and Philip Steel).

And, finally, I am in receipt of a photo from Harold Katinszky of the intersection of Clinton Avenue and Lovers Lane. It’s in Athens, Texas. Ken Starr made me say it.

miscelLAny:

Alan Morse of Monrovia observed a motorcyclist whose jacket said “Devils Diciples.” Morse said, “Apparently spelling isn’t one of their diciplines.” Maybe not, but I wouldn’t tell them in person.