NEWYORK — New York's Mercedes Benz Fashion Week kicked off on Thursday and will include hundreds of designers showing their Fall/Winter 2013 collections during the event at Lincoln Center and venues around the city. The event, which runs through February 14, attracts 232,000 people to New York City, which estimates that millions be spent in the restaurants and hotels during Fashion Week. Reuters correspondents with local knowledge show how to make the most of a short visit to the city and where to find good food, fun and fashion. FRIDAY 6 p.m. — After settling into your hotel, head to the Empire Hotel at 44 West 63rd Street and enjoy a cocktail on the roof and soak in the city views. During Fashion Week, you never know who you might run in to. 7:30 p.m. — Head across the street to Lincoln Center to see a show. Lincoln Center a cultural center in the city and home to The Metropolitan Opera, New York City Ballet and the New York Philharmonic orchestra. Twice a year, in February and September, Lincoln Center hosts New York Fashion Week when the people-watching in the square is brilliant and where your style can draw the attention of the dozens of fashion photographers roaming the area. To see what is on the Lincoln Center go to www.lincolncenter.org 10:30 p.m. — Stop for dinner near Lincoln Center at Bar Boulud, at 1900 Broadway, between 63rd and 64th streets. It is one of several New York City restaurants belonging to three Michelin-starred chef Daniel Boulud. Dozens of restaurants around Lincoln Square take part in “Fashion Plate Prix Fixe” during Fashion Week, offering special three—course lunches and dinners. SATURDAY 10 a.m. — Enjoy a coffee and Mimosa cocktail with brunch at Morandi (www.morandiny.com), at 211 Waverly Place in the West Village, a favorite with celebrities in New York. It is also just a couple of streets from the fictional apartment of “Sex and the City” fashionista Carrie Bradshaw. 12 p.m. — Go shopping along Bleecker Street between 7th Avenue and 8th Avenue in the West Village, where you will find labels including Marc Jacobs, Michael Kors, Jimmy Choo and Ralph Lauren. Pick up a cupcake at Magnolia Bakery at 401 Bleecker Street. 4 p.m. — Get a manicure at Spa Belles on 326 Bleecker Street, and then get your hair done at Blow on 342 W. 14th Street, to be ready for a night out on the town. 6 p.m. — Enjoy cocktails at the top of The Standard Hotel at 848 Washington Street, which has amazing views across the Hudson River to New Jersey and of New York City — even from the bathroom! 8 p.m. — Dine at Buddakan, 75 9th Avenue, in the Meatpacking District. You will recognize the long table in the grand main dining room from a key scene in the first “Sex and the City” movie — a dinner the night before Carrie's wedding to Mr Big. 11 p.m. — If you feel like dancing off your meal, go to Chelsea to check out Avenue at 116 10th Avenue or 1 Oak on 453 West 17th Street, which are both popular venues for Fashion Week after-parties. SUNDAY 11:30 a.m. — New Yorkers love brunch on the weekend, but they don't eat early. Try out Beauty and Essex, 146 Essex Street, on Manhattan's Lower East Side. The entrance to this two-storey restaurant is hidden in the back of a pawn shop. 1 p.m. — While the established designers are showing their collections uptown at Lincoln Center, check out what New York City's young designers have to offer at The Market on Bleecker Street. Or head to Brooklyn to see the designers at the Brooklyn Flea, which is currently housed in the beautiful former Williamsburg Savings Bank. 7 p.m. — After a hectic weekend of fun and fashion, enjoy at the Gottino at 52 Greenwich Avenue in Greenwich Village. — Reuters
