China Bazaar (667 Grant Ave.) provides one with the classic Chinatown retail experiences: three floors of merchandise crammed into every possible nook and cranny, flying at you from extremely odd angles and jerry-rigged to the ceiling. Tourists are any- and everywhere. Baskets of every conceivable incarnation of the "kung fu slipper" line the entrance.

This kind of retail experience, while initially quite off-putting, requires a thorough going-over: I found Chinese ceramic dishware ($7.95-$14.95) in traditional and more modern forms and glazes that would make a unique addition to anyone's conventional sets at home.

China Bazaar offers 30's and 40's-era vintage Chinese advertising posters and screen prints. These works feature modishly-coiffed beauties of the Far Eastern Jazz Age that have gained immense popularity of late, appearing on everything from dishes to t-shirts. -- Anthony Russell