Park Yourself in Park Slope

In my opinion, it's every Manhattanite's duty to venture out of the hallowed borough that is Manhattan, into the boroughs less traveled. This past Sunday, I found myself cruising the F train to Brooklyn - specifically, Park Slope - a neighborhood in the western section of Brooklyn and arguably its most popular one as well. Upon exiting the subway station, I was overjoyed to immediately encounter boutique shops (read: non-chains), large trees arching over the sidewalks and delicious looking cafes offering al fresco dining. I had to briefly check to make sure the subway hadn't transported me back to Ann Arbor. Without a college student or Buffalo Wild Wings in sight, I knew I was in fact in Park Slope. A quick Wikipedia search told me that this was the East coast home of Tom Hanks, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Keri Russell, so I was obviously eager to explore.

First stop - Sette Enoteca e Cucina (191 7th Avenue, http://www.setteparkslope.com/), an adorable spot with outdoor and indoor seating that were equally appealing. Unbeknownst to me and my friend, the only food option at this time was an $18 two course, all you can drink brunch. After our first two rounds of drinks (Bloody Mary's for my friend, Bellini's for me), we eagerly ordered the sweet potato puree soup (we are so ready for fall) as our first course - delicious - could've eaten it for my meal. My next course was a standard European-style breakfast - soft scrambled eggs, roasted potatoes and a delicious mixed greens salad and balsamic dressing. Cut to our waiter literally filling our drinks to the top every time they were more than an inch below the rim. All in all, a fantastic experience and delicious food, leaving us slowly rolling out of the restaurant and onto the shop lined 7th Ave.

We couldn't resist stopping into Kiwi (119 7th Avenue) a cute boutique carrying on-trend items at a variety of price points. Some drool-worthy items included Autumn Cashmere sweaters, Hat Attack perfect-for-fall fedoras (I snatched up a fantastic navy and black one) and patterned tights. With a friendly staff to boot, this is an essential stop in Park Slope.

While meandering around brownstone and treelined streets and throughout town (including the "I'm totally back in the Midwest", Prospect Park), I noted a few other places I wouldn't mind returning to: Park Slope Ale House (356 6th Avenue) - great for a casual night out with friends - and Scottadito Osteria (788 Union Street, http://www.scottadito.com/) - lovely open air back patio for eating.

While not technically a borough, my next adventure outside of Manhattan will be to Hoboken, NJ. Suggestions? Please post them to the Midwestern Manhattanite facebook page.

Ode to a Farmers Market

Nothing says Midwest living like a good farmers market. Which is why, upon moving to Manhattan, it was at the top of my to-do list to find my favorites within the city. I've already been to many since arriving a little under three months ago and have truly enjoyed the fantastic selections of flowers, fruit & vegetables, cheese, fish and even cider and donuts now that the season is upon us! The best part? The prices are about half of what they would be at your local Food Emporium or other grocery chain. Here's a list of my favorites:

Tribeca Greenmarket (Greenwich Street between Chambers & Duane - www.grownyc.org/tribecagreenmarket) - Right in my neighborhood, this mini farmers market has everything you need. It's open on Wednesday and Saturday and is situated right next to Washington Market Park - an ideal place to sit under the trees and enjoy some treats.

Abingdon Square Greenmarket (Hudson & 8th Ave between W. 12th and Bethune - www.grownyc.org/abingdongreenmarket) - Perfect to hit on your way home from brunch or some boutique shopping in the West Village. Open on Saturday from 8am-2pm year round.

Union Square Greenmarket (Union Square from 15th-17th Streets - www.grownyc.org/unionsquaregreenmarket) - This is the mother of all Farmers Markets in the city. Union Square is completely taken over each Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday by vendors selling literally every item you could imagine. Definitely a must-do/see.

This week I'm enjoying some delicious garlic green beans thanks to the Tribeca Greenmarket. And - I can't lie - some phenomenally delicious donuts and cider. Next week - who knows!

College GameDay Takes Manhattan

It's that time of year again - the weather's getting cooler, students are back on campus and of course, football season is finally underway! There's no way I could properly represent the midwesterners without sharing the best and most spirited places in New York City to watch our favorite teams go at eachother:

Illinois - The Australian (20 W. 38th Street - http://www.theaustraliannyc.com/) - enjoy the $3 "fighting ilini" aka some sort of blue shot.

Michigan - um, anywhere? According to Guest of a Guest, "Basically, if you walk into a New York City bar on a Michigan game day, there's about a 30% chance you'll walk into a UM Game Watch. These guys are everywhere, including Brother Jimmy's Union Square (116 E. 16th Street - http://www.brotherjimmys.com/), the official spot for alumni and Professor Thom's (219 2nd Ave - http://www.professorthoms.com/), a longtime favorite for Wolverines in the city.

Michigan State - Blondies West (212 W. 79th Street - http://blondiessports.com/) or Mercury Bar East (483 3rd Ave - http://www.mercurybareast.com/) for drinks specials and green shots.

Notre Dame - The Public House (140 E. 41st Street - http://www.publichousenyc.com/) for unlimited soda, juice and water for $10, OR unlimited alcoholic drinks for $40 - I'm thinking most of the Irish will choose the later.

Ohio State - Tonic Times Square (727 7th Ave - tonicbarnyc.com) or The Village Pourhouse (982 Amsterdam Ave - http://www.villagepourhouse.com/) - although I don't know why anyone would want to watch the Buckeyes...unless they're playing the Wolverines.

Penn State - Tonic East (411 3rd Ave - http://www.toniceast.com/) or Mercury Bar West (659 9th Ave - mercurybarnyc.com) - both will have food and drink specials.

Purdue - Galway Hooker (7 E. 36th Street - http://www.galwayhookernyc.com/)

Wisconsin - Mad River (1442 3rd Ave - http://www.madrivergrille.com/) - perhaps the greatest incentive, Mad River will have a complimentary, limited supply of Babcock Hall ice cream, straight from Wisconsin!

...and break! See everyone at Brother Jimmy's in their maize and blue today - I mean...whatever bar you choose in your own team's colors. Go Blue!

Friday Fashion Fete

As a midwesterner who loves fashion, my "live" shopping opportunities were fairly limited to our (fantastic yet repetitive) local mall and select boutiques in town. Enter - New York City. The home of Fashion Avenue, "Project Runway", $30 "designer" bags on Canal Street three blocks from $3,000 bags at Chanel Soho, world renowned vintage stores, and - an event I've been looking forward to since I moved to the city - Fashion's Night Out (http://fashionsnightout.com/). On Friday, September 10, boutiques and stores throughout the world (New York is the largest participant) celebrate fashion by holding in-store events with DJ's, cocktails, celebrities, stylists and most importantly great deals on in-store styles. For the purpose of those who don't have time to scan the hundreds of store-based events throughout the city, I thought I'd list my top picks for a fabulous night out here:

Diane von Furstenberg (440 W. 14th Street - http://www.dvf.com/.dvf.com/) - DVF will host the "experience lounge" at her store where you can sip champagne with actress/model Molly Sims and Olivia Palermo from The City. Get photographed in DFV fall fashion looks while enjoying the beats of DJ Elisa. Your photos will even stream live on giant screens throughout the store for your very own VIP fashion moment.

Tory Burch (38-40 Little W. 12th Street - http://www.toryburch.com/) - Tory is hosting a block party outside her Meatpacking District shop and DJ Cassidy will be spinning the turntables. Best perk of this one? Shake Shack will be serving burgers on-site! So try on some new Reva flats for fall, kick back and enjoy.

Bergdorf Goodman (754 5th Avenue - http://www.bergdorfgoodman.com/) - If you want some top-notch celeb sightings combined with outrageous shopping at one of New York's most infamous shopping institutions, this is definitely a good bet. On top of a bevy of in-store competitions (make-up and karaoke to list a few), celebs including Mary J. Blige, Nicole Richie and Victoria Beckham.

And last, but certainly not least, my favorite online shoe site, Piperlime (http://www.piperlime.com/), has established a Soho pop-up shop in honor of Fashion's Night Out. The store is located at 93 Mercer Street and will be open today through October 3, highlighting fall's top styles in clothing and shoes alike. My favorite quirky celebrity stylist, Rachel Zoe, will even be on-hand from 8-10pm during Fashion's Night Out to offer styling tips to lucky attendees looking to ramp up their style. This is most likely where you'll find me after work this Friday. Happy shopping!