A Chicago 4th of July

River, enjoying his view of the river

I am not a 4th of July celebration fan (although this is not to be confused with not being a fan of the 4th in general). This is primarily because I hate loud noises, to the point where the idea of sitting and listening to eardrum shattering fireworks brings on a panic attack. But Jeremy assured me that it's not as loud in Chicago by the lake. I guess I must really trust him - I agreed this sounded fun!?!?!
We had a stay at swissotel purchased from the MFB auction this spring, plus a gift certificate to Keefer's, one of Chicago's best steak houses. So we've heard anyway.

Waiting at the Pier

Let me just cut to the chase here on the fireworks.
Point 1: We took the kids because it seemed cruel to leave River out of the fun. But hauling 2 kids with strollers down and up several flights of steps to get to the pier = totally unfun.
Point 2: The fireworks were scheduled to start at 9 pm. We probably left for the pier around 7 along with a HERD of other people. I don't mean this as an exaggeration either.
Point 3: We somehow missed the ramp leading up the upper part of the pier (by the ferris wheel) so we took the elevator up. This required like a 10 minute jaunt through the boardwalk. Once on the elevator, there was no sign to get off by the "ferris wheel"so we ended up getting on a random floor. Parking garage. Just so you know, if you ever find yourself at Navy Pier on the elevator, trying to get to the ferris wheel, get off at the Shakespeare Theater level. :)
Point 4: It's not like we missed this, but it was like a million degrees outside. We staked out some chairs and then waited and waited and waited. All this waiting started working on my mind. It was 100 degrees out. River was antsy (surprise!). And I just knew that Jeremy's definition of "not loud" was not going to match up with mine. I wanted to go back to the hotel. Immediately. Unfortunately we'd waited forever so I was just planning to plug my ears and tough it out.
At 9 promptly there was a countdown and the fireworks started. Jeremy was right - it wasn't that loud. I'm not an expert on fireworks and I couldn't see much of them on the lake but Jeremy thought Sibley's were just as good as Chicago's so that was a little disappointing. I say, whatever. Fireworks, fireschmorks.
The real joy was getting out of there. Half the population of Chicago was trying to leave Navy Pier at the same time and there we were, with 2 strollers. The one I happened to have was like trying to navigate a mower through a herd of pigs. River had a love/hate relationship with his stroller. On the way out, he hated it. Good thing it had straps. I drove the stroller on some lady's foot because, well, there were feet everywhere and I was just trying to get back together with Jeremy. I almost felt bad about it.
After lugging the strollers back up 2 more flights of steps, we arrived, dripping and weary, back to the hotel. I've often wanted to take a cold shower and then when I get in, I decide that maybe a cold shower isn't exactly the thing I want. Not last night. I took the coldest shower I've ever planned to take in my life.
This morning, while in the hot tub on the 42nd floor of the hotel, I realized that I had the perfect view of the pier from there. I could have avoided stroller lugging, crowds, heat, and any noise last night, right there in the lap of luxury. Maybe next year. Maybe.
I am NEVER going to Navy Pier on the 4th again. You are all my witnesses to this declaration. It just ain't worth it.

My lady M, being her sweet little self at the Pier.

 I haven't said much about the hotel. I don't want to sound jaded - it was a perfectly nice hotel, located in a lovely, quiet part of Chicago. It basically sits on the end of Wacker Drive so there is no through traffic. The view was great - River loved it especially. Blah, blah.
But then we had breakfast this morning and I fell in love with swissotel.

 Assorted fresh fruits, perfectly cut and perfectly ripe.

 Greek yogurt, assorted cheeses and Swiss meats.

 Smoked salmon, capers, hard boiled egg yolks, and egg whites.

 Toppings for oatmeal.

 Herb butter, vanilla butter, and plain butter.
I didn't capture the poached eggs florentine or the display of croissants, or scrambled eggs that actually looked good.
It was so awesome! I had smoked salmon and cream cheese on a whole grain bread. These are the times that I wish that I had 4 stomachs so I could have had room to try at least a little bit of everything. Alas.
Of course, all this beauty comes with a cost. The breakfast buffet is 26 clams per person, should you ever find yourself at the swissotel.

This guy was washing windows today. It was pretty cool to behold the efficient way he worked.
For the record, I made it to Pizano's and PaperSource, but not Keefers. We'll be enjoying that dinner sans children. :)