The elevator most likely to induce a...

The elevator most likely to induce a religious experience in downtown Los Angeles? The most despised artwork in the Civic Center? The best place to have a Raymond Chandler experience near City Hall?

Questions you’ve undoubtedly asked yourselves numerous times. And, now, the Downtown News has answered them. In its current issue, the News publishes the results of a reader survey of local bests, worsts and mosts.

The magic elevator turned out to be the 61-year-old Art Deco masterpiece in the Oviatt building on South Olive Street, featuring etched glass doors, Gothic wood interior and pink marble floors.

For most despised artwork, the readers chose the sculpture by Eugene Sturman at the corner of 9th and Figueroa streets, nicknamed by some, “The Overgrown Can-Opener.” The most interesting aspect of the piece might be underground: a time capsule containing, among other things, one of Dodger pitcher Fernando Valenzuela’s gloves.

Fans of Chandler, the Bard of L.A., recommended the Far East Cafe on East 1st Street, with its dark, wooden interior and naked light bulbs. It’s the joint where detective Philip Marlowe and love-struck bad guy Moose Malloy meet in the movie version of “Farewell My Lovely.”

Other selections included Best Place to be Crowned King of France (the Crystal Ballroom of the Biltmore), Best Place to Get a Shoeshine While Witnessing a Crime (4th and Main streets) and Best Place to Say Goodby to Your Lover (Union Station--for aesthetic and functional reasons).

While the Downtown News lists more than 100 awards, it overlooked some other categories that deserve mention, including:

Bar With the Most Impressive Religious Shrine Behind the Counter: Yee Mee Lou’s in Chinatown.

Most Overlooked Jogging Arena: The roof of the City Hall East building.

Most Misleading Temperature Gauge: The electronic sign near the corner of 1st and San Pedro streets, which hit 115 one day in April.

Most Confusing Public Inscription: “A people cannot have the consciousness of being self-governed unless they attend themselves to the things over against (sic) their own doors” (carved on the Main Street side of City Hall).

Most Expensive Broken Music Box: The $900,000 Triforium on North Main Street.

Best Window Display of Plastic American Food: Shakey’s Pizza Parlor in Little Tokyo.

Down the Santa Ana Freeway a bit, the U.S. Open Flying Disc Championships will lift off in La Mirada next week. It’s only fitting that this prestigious event be staged locally. After all, the Frisbee is still another of Southern California’s gifts to the world.

It was developed in 1957 by a company called Wham-O, then based in San Gabriel. That name was adopted a year later after someone pointed out that kids were in the habit of tossing around empty pie tins and calling out, “Frisbie.” (The tins came from the Frisbie Pie Co.)

Frisbee--slightly altered--was the disc’s second name.

Wham-O no doubt figured that it sounded catchier than the disc’s original name, Pluto Platter.