Our son made a big move, following his dream to be based out of New York. So being the nice parents that we are, we helped him pack the rental truck and then drove with him to his new place in Brooklyn.

And Murphy being Murphy, we apparently cannot move our son without getting completely soaked. It is either pouring rain, or a stinking hot day where you are pouring sweat. Either way, an experience to remember (and wish you could forget!). This time, it was pouring buckets of rain - and cold rain at that.

We left DC in the morning, made absolutely great time, and then got caught in a horrible traffic tie-up in Staten Island, which apparently is par for the course. Anyway, after being delayed an hour and fifteen minutes at a dead stop, we made it to Brooklyn. And again, that Murphy - it was dry while we were viewing the Expressway in Staten Island, but then it was pouring when we hit Brooklyn. So unpack the truck, get the dog situated with his new doggie roommates (along with our son and HIS new roommates), get rid of the truck, and now - it's check-in time.

What a great place the Wythe Hotel is! Very updated in a lovely old structure, formerly a barrel factory! And because we had completely missed lunch (it was now after 4 PM!), we headed upstairs to the Ides Bar on the 6th floor of the Wythe.

View from the Ides Bar at the Wythe Hotel. Did I mention that it was cold and rainy? Manhattan is over there, complete with tall buildings!

Yes, this site is aptly named - "Bring More Wine!" After a cold, wet day of packing, driving and unpacking, we had to have a glass of wine to de-stress! We both had a lovely Rhone rosé, mainly because we really were hoping it would bring springtime! Unfortunately, rosé tastes magical, but it does not bring instant springtime. However, we had several extremely creative tapas that paired beautifully! The Wythe restaurants are known for their extremely fresh foods, obtained as much from local (aka upstate NY or CT or Long Island) producers as possible. A shrimp and crab "sausage" (really tasty), a cod mousse (yum!), and then marinated salami and parmigiano with marinated olives in a gorgeous fruity olive oil. What a great way to relax, enjoy the view that we were able to see out the windows in the Ides Bar, and do some people-watching in the process!

One part of the Ides Bar - a very popular spot on a cold, wet day!