Once more, the Lincoln Square Business Improvement District, in celebration of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, is proud to present our Fashion Plate Prix Fixe. From Thursday, September 8 until Thursday, September 15, Lincoln Square's restaurants have stepped up to the plate to offer special prix fixe meals. Look for window clings identifying participating restaurants.

We kicked off this exciting, week-long promotion with a press conference yesterday at local restaurant Boulud Sud, which just opened for lunch today. In addition to WABC-TV and Fox 5, restaurant connoisseur Tim Zagat and Commissioner Rob Walsh of the Department of Small Business Services were in attendance, sampling food prepared by chefs from participating restaurants. Several media sources, including DNAinfo, Greasy Guide, Nearsay and Social Vixen have some great coverage of Fashion Plate Prix Fixe. Check them out: DNAinfo, Greasy Guide, Nearsay, and Social Vixen.

The next seven days in Lincoln Square promise to be affordable and delicious. Make your reservations today!

Image: Monica Blum, President of the Lincoln Square Business Improvement District, and Tim Zagat, Co-Founder, Co-Chair & CEO of Zagat Survey, sample a dish prepared by Boulud Sud's Executive Chef Aaron Chambers

The rain has stopped just in time for Fashion's Night Out! Celebrate this world-wide event tonight, September 8, right here in Lincoln Square as a number of area businesses open their doors to take part in this fashion party.

BCBGMAXAZRIA located at 2003-2005 Broadway between 68th and 69th Streets (212.496.1853) will stay open until 11:00pm, just hours after the Fall 2011 BCBGMAXAZRIA Runway show. Enjoy champagne and get an exclusive Runway Survival Kit, including a .25 oz. bottle of BCBGMAXAZRIA's new fragrance and a Maybelline Great Lash mascara designed by Max with any regularly priced purchase. Enter for a chance to win a $2,500 wardrobe and fragrance.

Gracious Home located at 1992 Broadway and 67th Street (212.231.7800) will sample delicious food & beverages. Enter to win a 10-Piece Cuisinart Chef's Classic Cookware Set - a $149 value! And, receive a free kitchen towel with any Garnier Thiebaut purchase of $50 or more, or get a free decanter with any Schott Zwiesel purchase of $100 or more.

LOFT at 2015-17 Broadway at 69th Street (212.873.7344) will be open until 10:00pm. Get great outfit ideas and fashion advice from a LOFT Style Expert while you listen to amazing music from a live DJ, snack on yummy treats and toast your new purchases over drinks.

lululemon athletica at 1928 Broadway at 64th Street (212.712.1767) will have lululemon Ambassador alum, Rupa Mehta, founder of the Nalini Method, hanging out all evening along with her amazing team.

Magnolia Bakery at Columbus Avenue at 69th Street (212.724.8101) will also stay open until 11:00pm and will feature a Fashion's Night Out Cupcake with a portion of the proceeds donated to a charity.

ZARA at 1963 Broadway at 66th Street (212.226.2925) will serve up a decadent champagne bar alongside ZARA's hottest looks for the new season.

At Time Warner Center, the Shops at Columbus Circle will roll out the red carpet with special activities and offers from 30 shops! Enjoy hair care style consultations at Aveda's Blowout Bar, join bebe for sips, nibbles, a DJ, and more, or enter to win a new pair of Cole Haan shoes every month for an entire year. Learn how to add flair with the perfect fashion accessory at Eileen Fisher's scarf tying demo. Enjoy rock band Woods of Arden at Esprit from 6:00pm - 10:00pm! Click here for the full list of participating businesses at Time Warner Center and dozens of other offers, hors d'oeuvres, raffles, and giveaways!

This September marks the 10th anniversary of 9/11 and to commemorate the resiliency of New Yorkers, the American Folk Art Museum on Columbus Avenue between 65th and 66th Street will lead a series of public discussions centered around the 30-foot-long National Tribute Quilt, which is on display at the museum. The quilt was spearheaded by the Steel Quilters of United States Steel Corporation and incorporates 3,466 blocks from all fifty states and several international countries; it has been on continuous view since the first anniversary of 9/11 in 2002. On Saturday, September 10 at 1:00pm, docents will lead visitors through a discussion of the quilt. On Sunday, September 11, also at 1:00pm, curator emerita Lee Kogan will discuss the powerful and poignant quilt within the context of America's long tradition of quilts of conscience, quilts that have been created to express the quiltmaker's views on pressing political, social, and environmental issues. Visit www.folkartmuseum.org for more information.

The New York Philharmonic will present A Concert for New York for the Tenth Anniversary of 9/11 - In Remembrance and Renewal. Alan Gilbert will conduct Mahler's Symphony No. 2: Resurrection, a work that probes the age-old questions of mortality and divinity. This free concert will be held at Avery Fisher Hall on Saturday, September 10 at 7:30pm. Tickets are first-come, first-serve, and will be distributed (one pair per person) beginning at 4:00pm on the Josie Robertson Plaza at Lincoln Center on the day of the concert. There will be additional seating on the Plaza for the live projection of the concert. For more information, visit www.nyphil.org.

On Sunday, September 11, the David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center located on Broadway between 62nd and 63rd Streets will open at 8:00am - one hour earlier than usual. Neighbors, tourists, and all members of the Lincoln Square community are invited to gather at the Atrium to watch coverage of New York City's 9/11 Memorial Service on the Atrium's Media Wall.

The New York Society of Ethical Culture at Central Park West and 64th Street will also commemorate 9/11 with a series of events, including Counter Strike - The Untold Story of America's Secret Campaign Against Al Qaeda on Monday, September 12 at 7:00pm and a panel discussion on "9/11 Ten Years Later: What Should Schools Teach?" presented by the Civic Education Initiative on Wednesday, September 21 at 6:30pm. Admission is $5 for members and $10 for guests. Visit www.nysec.org for more information.

Image: National Tribute Quilt on display at the American Folk Art Museum

Put away your beach ball and sandals--September is here! Before we cast our eyes forward to fall's shorter days, amber-hued leaf displays and cozy sweater weather, we bid a fond farewell to yet another wonderful summer in Lincoln Square. Once again we presented our Free Outdoor Summer Concerts at Richard Tucker Park featuring talented live acts by Tin Pan, Underground Horns, The Hot Sardines, Drumadics, Tha Yaz Band (pictured above), and many more. YogaWorks provided yoga stretches in between musical sets while neighborhood restaurants Atlantic Grill and P.J. Clarke's quenched everyone's thirst with tall glasses of ice-cold lemonade... P.J. Clarke's also provided sumptuous brownies!

This summer, five high school students from the neighboring Martin Luther King, Jr. Educational Campus and three college-aged students staffed our Neighborhood Information Carousels, assisting residents and visitors by answering their questions and providing them with handy information about Lincoln Square. Working alongside our youth were two seasoned hospitality and customer service professionals hired through the nonprofit, ReServe, which provided valuable intergenerational workplace mentorships. The program was such a success that it was featured on DNAinfo! We wish our student workers the very best as they embark on another school year and thank Council Member Gale Brewer for her support. Despite the advent of fall, our Information Carousels remain stationed within the neighborhood. Stop by to pick up useful neighborhood brochures, cultural calendars and maps.

Finally, despite the heat, our neighborhood beautification program thrived! Our 10 Broadway Malls (the medians on Broadway), 37 planters spread throughout the district, and our two local parks-Richard Tucker and Dante Park-looked extraordinary. Our summer flowers were full, lush and extremely colorful thanks to almost-daily watering and lots of TLC provided by Frank Bulfamante & Sons, our new landscaping company.

This September, THIRTEEN celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month with Cantos Latinos, special programming dedicated to the unique stories of Latinos. The NY tri-state area is home to millions of Latinos, and THIRTEEN wants to hear from this vital local community.

Are you an immigrant or were you born in the U.S.? What is it about your Latino heritage you're most proud of? Go to www.thirteen.org/latino to share your story and explore the line up of Cantos Latinos performance premieres, documentaries, and more including Great Performances: Plácido Domingo: My Favorite Roles, Pedro Ruiz: Coming Home, Paraiso for Sale, and many more. For THIRTEEN's full schedule, visit www.thirteen.org.

Now that our Free Summer Concerts are over, allow us to point out another great resource for music. The Verdi Square Festival of the Arts, a series of free one hour outdoor concerts, kicks off its sixth season on Sunday, September 18 at 1:00pm. This festival takes place at Verdi Square at Broadway & 72nd Street and features outstanding young artists. The line-up includes:

Sunday, September 18, 1:00pm
Artists of the Manhattan School of Music present a traditional season-opening Opera program (lots of Verdi plus some Donizetti, Bellini, J. Strauss, and Lehar)

Sunday, September 25, 3:00pm
Artists from Boston's New England Conservatory come to New York with an all-Mozart program (Highlights from "Le Nozze di Figaro")

Sunday, October 2, 1:00pm
Shane Schag of the Manhattan School of Music and his Musical Theater Ensemble artists make a return Verdi Square appearance in highlights from the American Musical Theater.

For more information on the festival visit www.verdisquarefestival.com.

Image: The New School for Music's Mannes College performing at the Verdi Square Festival by Susan Hoehn

Don't let Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week distract you from all of the other exciting things happening in Lincoln Square, chief among them the many season openings at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.

The Metropolitan Opera's exciting 2011-2012 lineup of 26 operas (seven new productions and 19 revivals) includes the first new Ring cycle in more than 20 years and the most ambitious production the Met has ever attempted. New York City Ballet will open its 2011-2012 season on Tuesday, September 13, with four weeks of fall performances through October 9, featuring 16 ballets, including works by George Balanchine, Peter Martins, Jerome Robbins and Christopher Wheeldon. The highlight of the fall season will be the September 22 Fall Gala, which will feature the World Premiere of Ocean's Kingdom, a collaboration between Sir Paul McCartney and NYCB Ballet Master in Chief Peter Martins. The production will mark the first time that Sir Paul has written an original orchestral score for dance, and will also feature costumes designed by the acclaimed fashion designer Stella McCartney, who will be designing costumes for the theater for the first time ever.

Music Director Alan Gilbert will lead the New York Philharmonic in a feast of musical masterworks during its 170th Season: Mozart's Mass in C major; Mahler's Symphony No. 2, Resurrection, plus his Symphonies No. 5 and 9; Tchaikovsky's Fourth Symphony and Brahms' Third Symphony; Debussy's La Mer and more.

Meanwhile, Jazz at Lincoln Center will present another outstanding season of concerts including unique celebrations of past masters like Stan Kenton and the great Cuban bassist Cachao, and special performances by living legends such as Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter.

Image: Anna Netrebko as Anna Bolena, photographed by Brigitte Lacombe for The Metropolitan Opera

This year, IBM is celebrating its 100th anniversary and will be holding an exhibit, THINK, at Lincoln Center's Jaffe Drive (the underground passageway in front of Lincoln Center) from Friday, September 23 until Sunday, October 23. IBM says, "...we wanted to share some lessons we've learned. The THINK exhibit is an exploration into how the world works and how to make it work better."

Visitors will be able explore the data visualization wall at their leisure, while the media experience is a 35-minute timed session that requires a ticket for entry. Tickets are free and can be obtained by stopping by the exhibit box office located at the bottom of Jaffe Drive the day of the desired visit. The box office will be open daily at 9:30am and free tickets will be distributed daily on a first-come, first-served basis. Session times vary by day and are subject to change.

Mark your calendars and save the date for Winter's Eve at Lincoln Square! New York's largest holiday festival will celebrate its 12th year on Monday, November 28, 2011 and once again it promises to be better than ever. This year we hope that every shop, restaurant and non profit will join us as we usher in the holiday season.

Call our office at 212.581.3774 or email us at info@lincolnsquarebid.org for more information on sponsorship opportunities and how to get involved in this year's festival.