Chicago Event in Toronto: Broadway, Boats and Blue Suede Shoes

One of the world’s top-ranked river cruises. A new production featuring a rocking jailhouse and a hotel full of heartbreak. And not one but 10 types of pizza on the newest city food tour.

The folks from Choose Chicago held an event at the Goose Island Brew House in downtown Toronto on Wednesday night, showing off everything from beer to boats and blue suede shoes as they talked up the city’s tourism offerings to Canadian media.

The star of the show was Eddie Clendening, who stars as Elvis Presley in the Chicago production of Heartbreak Hotel and played several numbers that had the crowd shimmying and shaking.

Chicago is one of the world’s great theatre cities, said officials from Broadway in Chicago. The city is currently hosting not only The King but also a former president, that being the first production of the smash hit Hamilton to take place outside of New York.

Other great productions you can find in Chicago at the moment include Cats, The Book of Mormon, Hello Dolly, Pretty Woman and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Melanie Mapes, director of marketing for Chicago’s First Lady Cruises, was on hand to talk about the architectural tours that take place on the Chicago River. They’re an utterly fantastic way to learn about the city and to see some of the world’s first – and most beautiful – skyscrapers.

Mapes said the tours are rated as one of the best river tours in the world on Trip Advisor.

Also on hand was Steve Dolinsky, a long-time food writer and broadcaster in Chicago who has won 13 James Beard Awards and who runs Pizza City USA Tours.

Dolinsky told TravelPulse Canada that,while the city is best known for deep-dish pizza, there actually are 10 popular types in Chicago, including Neopolitan, deep dish, and, a favourite of his, tavern style. Dolinsky said tavern style is “getting crispy” and is served in squares, “so you can have your pizza in one hand and a beer in the other.”

Luckily for guests on hand, there was plenty of Goose Island beer to be had at the event. Although now in Toronto, Goose Island is based in Chicago and is considered the city’s first craft brewery, dating back to 1988. They also served up deep-dish pizza and other delights.

Dolinsky spent months researching 185 pizza joints in Chicago and wrote a book that focuses on 101 of the best ones. He also does regular tours, in which customers get to taste four varieties (burp) in three hours.

Sandra Costa of Toronto-based Porter Escapes told me Chicago is one of the company’s top-sellers, with folks flocking to see the city’s cultural sights, dining establishments and sporting facilities.

“We have 18 miles of lakefront done right,” said Choose Chicago Vice President of Media Relations Michelle Gonzalez, who was known as Michelle Revuelta until recently and who worked for several years at Tourism Toronto.

Chicago, for those who are unaware, has left almost its entire Lake Michigan waterfront in a natural state. That’s a boast a lot of Torontonians wish they could make about their city.

Multiple hotel, and air packages to Chicago are available from www.PorterEscapes.com and are fully commisionable to Travel Agents.