Traditionally, dim sum is enjoyed in the late morning to early afternoon with a large group of friends and family. However, given that a dim sum meal is made up of many snack sized dishes, why not sample as much as you can while working off your meal at the same time? Ride your bike through Chinatown and check out some of the great spots for dim sum.

Start your journey at the Chinatown Gold Line station and head west up College Street and make a right on North Broadway. Stop at Wonder Bakery in Chinatown Central Plaza and try one of their many pastries, sweet and savory alike, such as egg tarts and pork buns. Then head across the street to the Golden Dragon Restaurant where you can order a few choice eats to go, but make sure to come in before 2:00 p.m. as they tend to run out of dim sum by then. The Phoenix Bakery is more known for its amazing strawberry cake, but they still have a good selection of dim sum dishes.

Make a left at Bamboo Lane and head into the Bamboo Plaza. Check out The Empress Pavilion and try the Chinese Broccoli. Head south on North Hill Street for a stretch and a stop at the Chinatown Bakery and Ocean Seafood. Make a left on Ord Street and then a left on North Spring Street and stop at CBS Seafood, Longs Family Pastry, and Won Kok Restaurant before heading back the the Gold Line, and the end of this tour du dumplings.

If you don't feel like making the whole trip or you can't imagine stuffing yourself with all that food, you can bypass some of the tasty treats, and check out Thien Hau Temple, a Taoist temple at Yale Street and Alpine Street, or Los Angeles State Historic Park on the other side of the Gold Line station.

If you prefer to ride as a group with a tour guide, the Flying Pigeon bike shop does a monthly Get Sum Dim Sum Ride, beginning at their store in Cypress Park, and includes a visit to many of the restaurants mentioned here. For more information, check their website.

Whether you wanna try something new or you're a Chinese food fanatic, this bike trip is well worth your time.

Get Sum Dim Sum Ride | Photo by Kelly Simpson