Welcome to Chinatown

Even though my boyfriend's apartment is just a few blocks from Chinatown, it's not somewhere I venture to often. Yesterday though, we met up with another couple for some Dim Sum and it was yummm.

It was kinda cool being in a new 'hood for a change. Sure, it's smelly and crowded (don't ever walk through Chinatown if you're in a hurry), but you just gotta embrace it.

We actually were in a bit of a hurry because we didn't want to be late for lunch, so I quickly snapped this pic. Mmm, fish heads anyone?

Right, so I was so absorbed with taking it all in (the interior decorating was quite distracting), that I didn't even notice the name of the restaurant, gosh darn it! It's on Mott street between Canal and Hester. Even my best Google Map research didn't lead me to an answer, but I'll find out somehow and report back! Anyway, it was like a buffet on wheels--my kind of place! The servers were serious salesmen, er, women:"You want pork, you want pork, you WANT pork?!" They can be quite agressive, so you just have to be firm. If it sounds a bit shady, it probably is.

We kept it pretty basic with pork, vegetable and shrimp dumplings with crispy fish sticks.

I have no idea what this is, and I wasn't feeling adventurous enough to find out--even my friends who tried it weren't sure. Apparently it tasted like a noodle with "some mashed up stuff" inside. Hmm, not sure about that one.

When in doubt, go for Singapore noodles! Never fails.

We drank lots of tea, so I was feeling too full for dessert, but these lemon tarts got good reviews.

I recommend going here for a "New York experience" whether you're a local or just visiting. It was cheap as hell, too--less than $50 for four people, and we ate quite a bit. Anyone out there Dim Sum experts and have suggestions on more things I should try next time? What's your favorite Chinese dish?

Shake your man maker

In an effort to switch up my workouts and push myself harder, I turned to my new blogger pal, Tracy, for some fresh ideas. She is a hardcore gym rat with a whole lotta spunk—I love her! She gave me three different workouts, and I tried the first one this morning. I knew it would kick my ass, so my expectations weren't too high—I just wanted to get through it the best I could. And I did, with a few adjustments. Here's what went down:

The workout:

Warmup: 5 minutes of cardio of your choice

What I did: The rowing machine because I haven't done it in forever, plus I'm always looking for ways to tone my arms and back.

Round 1: 30 seconds squat jumps, 30 seconds rest in between/6x

What I did: All six rounds! The first round was fairly effortless, and I thought to myself, "Is this the best Tracy's got?!" Umm yeah, mid-way through round number two my legs felt like tree trunks and my thighs started turning to jello. I really wanted to quit, but I pushed through like a soldier. 

*Rest for a couple minutes

Round 2: FOR TIME (insert panic here)

-With at least 8-lb weights: shoulder press, man makers, butterfly situps/3x

-First time through: 21 reps of each Second: 15 reps of each Third: 9 reps of each

What I did: Don't know what a man maker is? Yeah, I didn't either. See vid below. I knew this would be tough for me, so I didn't worry too much about going super-fast, I just did it without breaks at a steady pace. With 5-pound weights, I completed the first round, then the second round I did 10 reps and the third round I did six reps. I probably could have completed all three rounds, but my form started getting sloppy, and I knew quality was probably better than quantity in this case. I finished in 12 minutes. Not exactly speedy, but oh well!

*Rest a couple minutes

                                 

                              

Here are different versions of the man maker. I did the second one and added a lunge with each leg at the end. Talk about a full-body workout—oh yeah, baby!

Round 3: Planks on fists for a minute/3x with 10-seconds rest in between

What I did: So I always thought I was good at planks, but I've never done them with so little rest in between—it was TOUGH! I did the first one for a minute/rest 15 sec; next 45 sec/rest 15 sec; then 30 sec.

Round 4: STRETCH!!! My favorite part :)

After I cooled down a bit, I clocked in 40 minutes on the elliptical. I didn't push it too hard, I just wanted to get a little more cardio in since I think I'm going to take tomorrow to rest. I'm also going to lunch in Chinatown with my bf and a couple friends for Dim Sum, so I wanted to be able to enjoy that. I know this might sound crazy, but I've actually never had Dim Sum. What is it? Dumplings? I know, I'm a total disgrace to New Yorkers everywhere. 

Thanks Tracy for the kick-ass workout! If you ever need ideas on how to shake things up at the gym, check out her blog here. And if you have questions, just ask in the comments section—she's SO good about answering right away. So tell me: How have you guys been pushing yourself at the gym lately? Are you sticking to those resolutions?!