Chinatown Shopping, Los Angeles

On the corner of Broadway and Alpine in Chinatown, tucked behind the Chinese medicine and trinket shops, is a block-sized stall mall, usually with very good prices. There are 4 entrances to the mall, but the easiest to find and closest to the MTS or walking from Olvera St is on Alpine, 1/2 block east of Broadway, up some stairs. There are two indoor sections and a large outdoor section with tarps covering the walkways. One of the indoor sections is not that easy to find, and is only connected by an offshoot of the outdoor part that heads north. But basically it's the whole block behind the store-fronts, except for a bank and a parking lot. If you want any Asian movies, there's a huge, cheap, Asian DVD store just across from the Mall's east entrance (stairs).

What to buy: Clothes and toys, shoes, trinkets, Asian movies.

What to pay: Not very much

A colorful little shop in Chinatown's Bamboo plaza

What to buy: shoes, hair accessories and little decorative knick- knacks

What to pay: shoes- $10-$25, most items under $20