It’s the social gaffe of the season,...

It’s the social gaffe of the season, the equivalent of two bejeweled matrons showing up at a gala in the same gown. Only these two are cities.

No sooner had L.A. unveiled its version of Rome’s fabled Spanish Steps on Bunker Hill than Beverly Hills dedicated its own Spanish Steps in a new Two Rodeo mall.

That’s right: Dueling Spanish Steps.

The embarrassment could have been worse--at least Magic Mountain hasn’t come out with a Spanish Steps Slalom Run--but the duplications nevertheless raise a question:

Are there enough pedestrians in L.A. for all these stairs?

Since the Spanish Steps are now the talk of the town--or, of two towns--you should know that the landmark was so designated more than four centuries ago as a result of its proximity to Rome’s Spanish Embassy. Thus, one place where there aren’t any Spanish Steps is Spain.

“Spanish Steps” rivals but hasn’t yet replaced “Gateway” as the vogue phrase of local architects and builders.

Venice is the proposed site of the much-debated Channel Gateway, a $400-million residential-commercial complex.

A four-block-wide area connecting L.A.’s mainland to its port, once nicknamed the “City Strip,” is now known as the Harbor Gateway.

Finally, there was the West Coast Gateway competition, designed to find a suitable monument to place over the Hollywood Freeway to welcome motorists. More than a year has passed since the de-constructionist “Steel Cloud” entry was chosen.

It’s still unconstructed.

In keeping with the international flavor of today’s column, Al Hix of Hollywood offers some multi-language nominations for our Only in L.A. Redundancy Competition.

Hix points out that Strada Corta Road in L.A. translates as Short Street Road in Italian, and that Carretera Drive in Whittier means Road Drive in Spanish.

And, finally, Prince Frederic Von Anhalt was involved in a slight misstep Monday when his 1988 Bentley collided with a drapery cleaners’ van in West Hollywood. The Sheriff’s Department said the accident is under investigation. The prince comes from a famous driving family. You know him better as Mr. Zsa Zsa Gabor.

miscelLAny:

More than 10,000 documents are filed each day in L.A. County’s superior courts.