# Wonderfully Weird Sign on Building **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 1, 2011, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wonderfully-weird-sign-on-building/604654 "2011-12-01T02:33:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2011, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wonderfully-weird-sign-on-building/604654/1 "2011-12-01T02:33:48Z")
Today at lunchtime I saw the following sign on a building – it looked, at first glance, like the very official “No Parking” sign above it. Untuil you read the message [spoiler] \*\*Do Not Block Loading Zone The Parking Monkeys Have No Mercy\*\*[/spoiler] ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2011, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wonderfully-weird-sign-on-building/604654/2 "2011-12-01T02:53:30Z")
I saw a parking lot at a church in Blacksburg, VA (convenient to both downtown as well as Virginia Tech) that had something to the effect of: Thou shalt NOT PARK! Church parking only. ---
**Author:** ![nofloyd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nofloyd/32/2870_2.png) [@nofloyd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nofloyd)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2011, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wonderfully-weird-sign-on-building/604654/3 "2011-12-01T13:40:31Z")
There’s an add painted on a brick building in Brooklyn for a carpet store: Say No to Drugs Say Yes to Rugs! ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2011, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wonderfully-weird-sign-on-building/604654/4 "2011-12-01T14:31:44Z")
I used to live next to a building in San Francisco that had the ghostly remains of a professionally-done painted sign on it. Visible only from the 8-foot wide fire escape area between buildings were the enigmatic words: _Roller Canaries_ and nothing else. Apparently long, long ago, that building held a pet shop. At the time, I had visions of little birds on skates. Now, with the internet, it’s easy to discover that roller canaries are just a variety of small birds. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2011, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wonderfully-weird-sign-on-building/604654/5 "2011-12-01T14:45:00Z")
When I was younger I backpacked across SE Asia and among the places I visited was this site: > **[Snake Temple](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snake_Temple)** > > The Snake Temple (Chinese: 蛇庙; pinyin: Shé Miào; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Tsuâ-biō) (also called as the Temple of the Azure Cloud) is a Chinese temple situated in Bayan Lepas, Southwest Penang Island District, Penang, Malaysia. It was built in 1805 for Master Qingshui or Chor Soo Kong (祖師公), a deified Buddhist monk. Devotees from as far away as Singapore, Taiwan and China come to pray in the temple on the monk's birthday (the sixth day of the first lunar month). > The temple also featured during the 8th leg... On the wall was a sign (in several languages) that read: “Falling into a Trance in the Snake Temple is Prohibited”. That has got to be the oddest totally serious “official” sign I’ve ever seen. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2011, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wonderfully-weird-sign-on-building/604654/6 "2011-12-01T14:45:41Z")
Chili’s usually has signs on their short-term parking for takeaway orders that go something like this: “Chili’s-To-Go Parking Only – All Others Will Be Crushed And Melted” ---
**Author:** ![Lukeinva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lukeinva/32/17872_2.png) [@Lukeinva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lukeinva)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2011, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wonderfully-weird-sign-on-building/604654/7 "2011-12-01T14:54:49Z")
> [@robert\_columbia](#): > > I saw a parking lot at a church in Blacksburg, VA (convenient to both downtown as well as Virginia Tech) that had something to the effect of: > > Thou shalt NOT PARK! > > Church parking only. Ha! There is the same sign at a church in Winchester, VA. Probably spiritually related 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Il\_Palazzo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Lord\_Il\_Palazzo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Il_Palazzo)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2011, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wonderfully-weird-sign-on-building/604654/8 "2011-12-01T15:24:15Z")
> [@robert\_columbia](#): > > I saw a parking lot at a church in Blacksburg, VA (convenient to both downtown as well as Virginia Tech) that had something to the effect of: > > Thou shalt NOT PARK! > > Church parking only. I remember that sign from my time at Tech. It’s at Blacksburg Baptist, if I remember correctly. I love that one. I’ve seen a couple in various stores with messages urging parents not to leave their children unattended. My favorites are “Unattended children will be sold to the circus.” and “Unattended children will be given a shot of espresso and a free puppy.” ---
**Author:** ![Ashes\_Ashes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/db5fbb/32.png) [@Ashes\_Ashes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashes_Ashes)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2011, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wonderfully-weird-sign-on-building/604654/9 "2011-12-01T15:53:48Z")
> [@gotpasswords](#): > > I used to live next to a building in San Francisco that had the ghostly remains of a professionally-done painted sign on it. Visible only from the 8-foot wide fire escape area between buildings were the enigmatic words: > > _Roller Canaries_ > > and nothing else. > > Apparently long, long ago, that building held a pet shop. At the time, I had visions of little birds on skates. Now, with the internet, it’s easy to discover that roller canaries are just a variety of small birds. The roller part describes their type of song. A long, rolling trill. It must have been a specialty of the shop to merit it’s own sign. So instead of roller-skating, they probably held lorgnettes and looked down their beaks! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Il\_Palazzo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Lord\_Il\_Palazzo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Il_Palazzo)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2011, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wonderfully-weird-sign-on-building/604654/10 "2011-12-01T16:00:15Z")
> [@gotpasswords](#): > > I used to live next to a building in San Francisco that had the ghostly remains of a professionally-done painted sign on it. Visible only from the 8-foot wide fire escape area between buildings were the enigmatic words: > > _Roller Canaries_ > > and nothing else. > > Apparently long, long ago, that building held a pet shop. At the time, I had visions of little birds on skates. Now, with the internet, it’s easy to discover that roller canaries are just a variety of small birds. I’m reminded of the time my brother, sister and I were at a pet shop and saw a sign about “Robo Dwarf Hamsters”. The internet reveals that this is a relatively common breed, but we still had a good time picturing very small (and possibly bearded) mechanical hamsters. ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2011, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wonderfully-weird-sign-on-building/604654/11 "2011-12-01T17:07:23Z")
My [favorite](http://media.techeblog.com/images/funnysigns_2.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![PapSett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecc23a/32.png) [@PapSett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PapSett)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2011, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wonderfully-weird-sign-on-building/604654/12 "2011-12-01T17:24:46Z")
Many years ago, my cousin and I were out riding our horses on a counrty back-road. There was a nice brick house with a built on garage, and spray painted across the garage door, it said: Nothing for sale- Don’t ask. There was a man in the front yard doing yard work, and no matter how big the temptation, we didn’t ask. ---
**Author:** ![ducati](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cc9497/32.png) [@ducati](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ducati)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2011, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wonderfully-weird-sign-on-building/604654/13 "2011-12-01T17:29:30Z")
You should never park [here](http://www.imbecile.me/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/never-ever-ever-ever-park-here-500x375.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2011, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wonderfully-weird-sign-on-building/604654/14 "2011-12-01T17:41:07Z")
[We’ve had good NO PARKING signs for years now!](http://www.flickr.com/photos/nikhilpahwa/1355086883/) ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2011, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wonderfully-weird-sign-on-building/604654/15 "2011-12-01T18:26:55Z")
> [@drastic\_quench](#): > > My [favorite](http://media.techeblog.com/images/funnysigns_2.jpg). 😃 That is indeed very funny. ---
**Author:** ![Prelude\_to\_Fascination](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a183cd/32.png) [@Prelude\_to\_Fascination](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prelude_to_Fascination)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2011, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wonderfully-weird-sign-on-building/604654/16 "2011-12-01T18:52:46Z")
Not terribly long ago (within the last 20 years), I saw a series of Burma Shave signs. They said: Thirty days hath September April, June And the speed offender Burma Shave For unofficial (i.e., graffiti) examples, these are my favorites: “Wobbly rockets” “Where is my paranoid kitty?” “Is the glass half empty or half full?” to which someone else wrote: “I think the glass is twice as big as it needs to be” ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2011, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wonderfully-weird-sign-on-building/604654/17 "2011-12-01T19:23:48Z")
> [@Prelude\_to\_Fascination](#): > > For unofficial (i.e., graffiti) examples, these are my favorites: Mine is graffiti added to a stop sign: Don’t STOP Believin’ ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2011, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wonderfully-weird-sign-on-building/604654/18 "2011-12-01T19:59:39Z")
I saw a perfectly professional looking sign at a parking lot in Des Moines, Iowa, with the following text: > [@](#): > > Unauthorized vehicles will be worked over with a sledgehammer, flipped over by an angry mob, set on fire and spray painted with obscenities, immediately after being used as a getaway car in an incredible daring daytime robbery. ---
**Author:** ![TPWombat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbce88/32.png) [@TPWombat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TPWombat)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2011, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wonderfully-weird-sign-on-building/604654/19 "2011-12-01T22:41:52Z")
I think that [this](http://www.flickr.com/photos/jzawodn/132667966/) one, from a welsh railway station, is _probably_ a fake. But it just might be real. British Rail. Always promising, never delivering. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2011, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wonderfully-weird-sign-on-building/604654/20 "2011-12-01T23:53:19Z")
> [@Lord\_Il\_Palazzo](#): > > “Unattended children will be given a shot of espresso and a free puppy.” I saw this sign in a yarn shop and asked the woman how long I needed to leave my kid unattended before they gave him his puppy. I thought she would laugh, but she was not amused. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wonderfully-weird-sign-on-building/604654.md?page=2)