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.