Love letter from the South:In its “Best...

Love letter from the South:

In its “Best of San Diego” poll, San Diego Magazine was thoughtful enough to include an extra-credit question: “What do you hate most about L.A.?”

Discussing readers’ responses, the magazine says in its June edition: “The list goes on and on. But traffic takes first place.”

The why-hate-L.A. category also inspired “the longest response to any single poll question,” which was: “Smog, gluttony, poverty, inequity, class divisions, traffic, weather, general discomfort and yukiness.”

You have to excuse some San Diegans for being a bit insecure these days. First came the revelation that Burbank’s streets stood in for San Diego’s in “The Lost World.”

Then Jay Leno of “The Tonight Show” spotlighted a newspaper article that spelled the city’s name as “Sandy Eggo.” And, finally, Japan baseball star Hideki Irabu rejected the San Diego Padres, who had the rights to him, saying he’d retire before pitching there.

Irabu later signed with the New York Yankees. Maybe someone told him Roseanne still sings the national anthem for the Padres.

OK, THIS IS A TRAFFIC PROBLEM: Sure, the automobile is overemphasized in these parts. Take the description of a seniors exercise class, noticed by Brook Hubbell of Simi Valley (see accompanying). Is it really necessary for them to be in the vicinity of their doctors’ cars?

DON’T BANK ON THIS ONE: With competing bank branches moving into markets, you never know what services the financial institutions may be offering next. Actually, Bank of America is not accepting unprocessed film in its depositories, no matter what the snapshot by Stan Kelton indicates (see photo). Kelton was in a Bellflower market where B of A had set up its branch underneath an old “film developing” sign that management apparently hadn’t noticed.

STAMP OUT INSINCERITY: Gary Ferguson visited the Hermosa Beach Memorial Weekend Crafts Fair, “where I observed, at a rubber stamp vendor’s booth, a highly embellished rubber stamp reading: ‘With Deepest Sympathy.’ ”

Ferguson figures the theory is “it’s never too late to start planning for the day your budget is stretched to the limit” trying to keep up with the purchases of “sympathy” cards.

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The Improv on Melrose Avenue is hosting its first annual “Guy-athlon” next Tuesday as part of a book-signing for “The Big Damn Book of Sheer Manliness,” by Todd and Brant von Hoffmann. Categories include “the guy with the hairiest back,” “the guy with the biggest gut.” Uh-oh. L.A.’s level of yukkiness seems to be rising.