Carmen Electra's Aerobic Strip Tease - Vegas Strip

Carmen Electra's Aerobic Strip Tease: Vegas Strip is a 30-minute workout video. Carmen is known for her "strip" workout videos and has created another new video that will work your body to the maximum. It incorporates easy hip movements and dance combinations that are easy to learn and fun to do. Carmen incorporates the art of burlesque and striptease to work up a sweat.

This video is really easy to get into, and actually makes you feel good at the end of the 30 minutes. When I put the video in, I was expecting the 30 minutes to be a piece of cake and not "feel the burn" and feel like that was 30 minutes of my life I will never get back. My preconceived notions were completely wrong, and I was glad.

Throughout the video there is positive feedback. Carmen tries to make sure the participants are comfortable with the movements. She teaches the moves in slow motion, then she has you add the arms, then she does the movements with the counts. Then she does the movements with the music. After every new eight count is learned, the routine starts back at the beginning with the music. The movements feel awkward at first, but once you get into it it is a lot of fun. It teaches you how to be comfortable with yourself and your body. Carmen is always giving positive feedback along with pointers like "Keep your feet together here."

To do this workout, no previous experience is needed. The point of the video is to make you feel more comfortable with yourself, and teach you some fun moves. There is some bonus material. In the bonus material, there a segment on the making of this video.
The only criticism I have of this video is that it is too short. It would have been better if it was longer than 30 minutes, but it just means I am going to have to do it more often to get results that I want.

Other videos with similar workouts by Carmen Electra include: Carmen Electra's Aerobic Striptease Collection - Carmen's Fitness Collection, Carmen Electra's Aerobic Strip Tease: In The Bedroom, and Carmen Electra's The Lap Dance and Hip Hop.

http://blogcritics.org/archives/2007/12/27/003103.php (link to publication)

Visiting NYC in 3 days!

New York, the city that never sleeps, is jam packed with exciting historical locations, museums, and shopping for tourists and locals. You may think that a week is necessary in order to see all of the attractions with the major hustle and bustle of this city. Well, that would be wrong, because if you have time management skills, New York can easily be conquered in one weekend.

The only important items necessary in order to prepare for a full schedule is a decent travel book, comfortable shoes, and a metro card which is easy to purchase at the nearest metro station.

It is important to arrive in New York City by early afternoon in order to be able to fit in the sites and tourist attractions. The best place to stay would be a hostel because you only sleep there. Jazz on the Park, located on 106 Street and Manhattan, is the perfect spot. It is a quaint place for a room and complimentary breakfast for a mere $36 a night per person. The best aspect is that Europeans will fill the entire place. You can mingle with other guests and learn about other places while enjoying coffee with milk.

Jazz on the Park resembles life in a dorm at college. There are two community bathrooms on each floor, so avoiding the other guests is almost impossible. You are staying in close quarters so getting to know the people on your floor can be very exciting and interesting. Who knows, maybe you will want to spend more time with them outside the hostel!

Day 1

Once in New York and checked in, spend the rest of your first day traveling through Chinatown and Little Italy. These bargaining spots are located on the East Side of Manhattan on Canal Street. If you are lucky you can have the special experience of being offered a “real” designer handbag for a steal. You can only see them by heading through the secret passage that is activated via a remote control, similar to what you would use to unlock your car. Once up the stairs, in a hot and ridiculously small area (where about five other people are) “real” designer bags hung throughout tiny area. You can choose from Coach, Prada, Dooney and Bourke, and Channel. After a certain amount of browsing, the woman will throw you out, saying, “The police are coming.” She will lead you once again down the stairs where a call is placed to make sure the coast is clear. Then she will pull out the remote and unlock the door, and off to freedom you go.

Little Italy offers numerous coffee shops that serve delectable pastries for a decent price.

A half-day is all you need to maneuver through Chinatown and Little Italy.

Day 2

On your first full day, it is important to get an early start. New York has numerous flea markets full of antique jewelry, handbags, clothes, and other trinkets where you can bargain down the price. These flea markets are located in Chelsea. An hour or two should be sufficient time to browse through the items. Then catch the local bus that goes uptown to visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The Met is one of the most extraordinary museums ever built. Located on 5^th street in-between the Upper West Side and the Upper East Side. It is so amazing that once you walk in, the place is full of people and you can barely move. It is a good idea to check your coat and bag to enjoy the art hands free. Don’t be fooled by the admission prices to enter. They are only suggested amounts, so really, you can pay whatever you feel comfortable with.

Once you have finished at the Met, ride the subway down to the Bowling Green stop at the very south end of the island. This is the location of Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. For a mere $12, you will ride the ferry to both locations, snap pictures, and enjoy the history.

By the end of the ferry ride back to land, you can become extremely hungry and parched, as the only food available at the very south end of the island are day old pretzels and pricey sodas. The best and closest historic location would be George Washington’s Tavern. From the ferry station, the tavern is only a 10 minute walk. This used to be his watering hole, and where he brought his troops at the end of the Revolutionary War. They have a wonderful restaurant and bar. In the bar, expect to watch horse races on five plasma screen TVs.

After a yummy meal, head uptown and stop at the New York Stock Exchange on Wall Street. Located in the Financial District on the south end of the island, it is an exciting location. It is a little dead during the weekend, but a good time to take photographs because no one usually gets in the shot. It is an exciting place and you can imagine the hundreds of people that flood the street during the workweek. Standing on Wall Street, you can imagine the tension and pressure the daily stock market brings. When no one is around, it is fun to pretend you are on the trading floor, shouting out numbers and offers. The good thing is no one is around to witness your fun.

The next stop is Ground Zero, which is located in the Financial District. Jump back on the metro and head toward the World Trade Center stop. This historic event is incredible because it is difficult to visualize how much space these towers once took up. There is a sign commemorating those who survived the attack and a list of those who lost their lives. A plan is displayed so you can see the blueprint of what is going to be built in the empty area.

The very last stop is Times Square. Times Square is always a happening location because it is where the tourist shops are found as well as all of the Broadway plays. Times Square has a montage of advertisement billboards that are striking and worthy of a photograph. On weekends between 5^th Avenue and 7^th Avenue, you can find a flea market filled with sunglasses, apparel, jewelry, and handbags galore. There is wonderful street vendor food, ranging from Mexican food to french fries. It is all reasonably priced and the food is to die for.

Day 3

The last day is totally dedicated to The Empire State Building, which is in-between Times Square and the Garment District in Chelsea. Because you are on a time constraint, a mere $42 will get you a “fast pass” to the building. This means no waiting in lines. You could potentially be standing in line for up to an hour just to buy a ticket, and then it is another hour or more to get in the elevator to reach the 80^th floor. With the fast pass, you can have an interactive ride similar to the Star Wars ride at Disneyland. It is narrated by Kevin Bacon and is a virtual tour of New York City.

After the Empire State Building tour, it is about that time to head toward the airport, where hailing a cab will be easy as they are everywhere. The best way to snag a cab is to stand in the middle of a cross walk with your arm in the air waving to attract the attention. Or you can wait for someone to get out of a cab and jump right in as he/she is paying. With so much rich culture and history, you can see all of the sights New York City has to offer in one weekend, provided you maximize every day.

http://blogcritics.org/archives/2007/12/04/221550.php (link to publication)