A while ago, the Prowler went on a car-spotting spree, shared a handful of license plates found on Los Gatos vehicles and promised to do it again sometime. Just like when you learn a new word and then start seeing it everywhere, this cat has begun noticing humorous and creative (and sometimes unintelligible) plates everywhere.
When necessity brings the Prowler to the Civic Center parking lot, an older model German sedan is often there, boasting a plate of 1CATFAN. This cat is certainly a fan of that! The owner of GR8BMER may or may not be a fan of cats, but he certainly thinks his BMW is great. The same holds true for SAABNUT--can you guess what kind of car that person drives? Not to mention the owner of ONAJAG, who may have been doing just that when purchasing the British-made sedan.
Speaking of nuts makes the Prowler think of two fruit-related plates spotted on different days on N. Santa Cruz Avenue: 3APPLES and 3 KIWIS. Funny coincidence that both of these individuals named their fave fruits three times. Even more delicious was DOLCE--Italian for "sweet"--which appropriately enough belongs to a Ferrari sighted on E. Main Street. For those who prefer sour snacks over sweet, there's a dark-green station wagon toodling around town called PCKLCAR.
Some people offer clues to their professions or hobbies with their license plates. A pickup truck near the corner of Almendra and N. Santa Cruz avenues had a firefighters' commemorative plate reading CAPTEN. No doubt the correct spelling of the word was already on some other captain's vanity plate. Also in the vicinity of Almendra Avenue was a tough and brawny sport utility vehicle, complete with roof rack, whose license plate exclaims OUTAHIR. The only question that leaves is whether the driver prefers camping, hiking, skiing or snowboarding.
This article appeared in the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, November 6, 1996.
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