Soccer isn’t as big in New Hampshire, either

In its review of the “most outrageous” travel stories of 2006, USA Today nominated the saga of Jim Hourihan of Liverpool, England, who “thought he was heading home when he boarded a Continental Airlines flight in Los Angeles in June.” Little did he know.

“It wasn’t until he changed to a 50-seat regional jet in Cleveland that Hourihan realized he was bound for Manchester, N.H., not Manchester, England,” the newspaper said. His only complaint was the lack of pubs in the Manchester on this side of the Atlantic.

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Speaking of travel confusion ... : Did you see where Palmdale Regional Airport has been renamed L.A./Palmdale Regional Airport to boost business?

Imagine how visitors from overseas will feel when they land there and learn they’re 60 miles from the real L.A. The least the airport could do is inaugurate a Palmdale-to-Los Angeles connecting flight.

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It’s a small world ... : As the Disney folks say (aren’t you glad this column isn’t accompanied by music?). Anyway, the thought came to mind when I chanced upon “Signspotting: Absurd and Amusing Signs From Around the World,” compiled by Doug Lansky.

More than a dozen of the signs in the book have also appeared in Only in L.A., I’m proud to say (the ones in this space were shot by different folks).

The twice-honored signs (see photos) show such oddities as:

* A town in Oregon that doesn’t sound exciting (by Dan Kaplowitz).

* Evidence in Maui that prehistoric peoples flew airplanes (by Michael Gersch).

* What sounded like a warning of a wild creature in London but was actually a reference to a striped crosswalk atop a speed bump (by Jay Berman).

* A curious statement about restrooms at a Florida airport (by Michael Leviton).

* Important directions to cruise ships whizzing down the San Diego Freeway (by Kevin Buck).

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Before we say goodbye to 2006: In his look back at the bizarre events of last year, columnist David Allen of the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin mentioned a drug-addled nudist who was spotted in a Claremont resident’s backyard. The intruder babbled in a mix of English, French and a language that police couldn’t identify. And he was eating grass. Allen termed his arrest “a victory for lawn order.”

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miscelLAny: If you get pulled over on a roadway this week, you might want to begin by telling the officer, “Bonjour!” That’s because 32 French cops are training with Southern California law enforcement agencies over the next 10 days. I’m not sure why, but it might have something to do with the local outbreak of French-speaking nudist grass-eaters.

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Steve Harvey can be reached at (800) LATIMES, Ext. 77083, by fax at (213) 237-4712, by mail at Metro, L.A. Times, 202 W. 1st St., L.A. 90012, and by e-mail at steve.harvey@latimes.com.