Take a second look at Boston through the eyes of a tourist! Your ‘local’ knowledge just might be challenged!

Care to know where Dr. Martin Luther King achieved the “Dr.” part of his name? Do you happen to know which event overshadowed the grand opening of Fenway Park? Anyone know the location of the greatest fine art heist in American history? Care to indulge in the tangled past of the Hancock Tower windows? The green monster got its name from whom?
Want to know which section of the green line is haunted and why? How is there such a tall building in Cambridge? I can do this all while riding a bike and getting exercise? All of this and much much more can be accomplished on the ‘City View’ tour offered by Urban Adventours daily! Boston’s best tour, according to TripAdvisor, leaves multiple times a day from Urban Adventours headquarters on the south fringe of the north end. Locals and tourists alike will find something compelling on this extremely well executed, fun, and dynamic tour that takes bicycle riders safely through Boston’s best neighborhoods. There are several different tours that explore various parts of the city, and even a tour to the local breweries! (don’t worry.. bikes are picked up once you arrive!) Head to urbanadventours.com, or stop by their location at 103 Atlantic Ave. in the north end for more information on their different tours, departures, and bike rentals.
On this particularly sunny Saturday afternoon, three very knowledgeable Bostonians, Matt, Chris and Cole guided my tour. The group of just over twenty tourists and one local (me) assembled on the fringe of the north end just before ten o’clock in the morning. After a short safety demonstration, a briefing on bicycle safety in the city, a short description of our route, and some silly pirate jokes, we were on our way. On this day, I was the only local on the tour, and was accompanied by tourists from all over the globe. Matt and Tessa, a couple from Calgary, rounded out the group of mostly Canadians, but were joined by a mother and daughter from Texas, a gentleman from Argentina, and a few people from Connecticut. Once we departed the headquarters, we headed into the north end, through the winding cobblestone streets and past vendors and locals just waking up. We stopped at the top of the hill and looked out towards the U.S.S. Constitution, learned about the molasses incident, and some fun facts about the ‘original land’ of Boston. (It’s much smaller than you think!)
The tour then took us down the hill and onto an overpass looking at the T.D. Garden and out onto the Tobin Bridge. There, we learned about ‘The Big Dig’, the ensuing park, and some fun sports stories dating back almost a century. After posing next to the statue of Bobby Orr and his most famous moment as a Boston Bruin, shooting himself into orbit after scoring a game-winning goal, we headed out towards the Charles River. By the time this part of the tour wrapped up, we had already learned so much about Boston it was hard to believe we would continue for almost another two hours! The tour then moved on past the esplanade on the Charles, where we watched a very talented black lab go fullthrottle down a dock and manage to grab a Frisbee in mid-flight before plunging into the water.
We then focused on the tallest building in Cambridge and the loophole that allowed it. If a building can’t be more than 10 stories, just re-define the ‘story’. One designer did on MITs campus, creating a building that is actually the equivalent of 30 stories tall, but only have ten sections. After pondering the Longfellow and Harvard bridges, we took a hard left at Boston University’s campus, discovered that it is one of the most expensive schools in the country, and learned that Dr. Martin Luther King actually became a Doctor there.
Also, we learned why there is not a gold statue of Howard Stern out in front of the school, but how the school now needs his money. After passing through Kenmore Square, evaluating the bus terminal and Citgo sign, a perfect contrast between past and present, we rode over to the backside of Fenway Park. The stadium has been protected from changes or alterations basically since it was built, but we learned how the green monster got its name, and how a fire actually allowed for further development. This took us to the half way point in our excursion.
The next leg took us through the Fenway, past the community gardens and over towards the Isabella Gardner Museum. Is your name Isabella?
Is it your birthday? You may enter under these two circumstances for free! This museum is also the site of one of the greatest art heists of all time. If you know where these pieces are, you will be rewarded $4 million. We then strolled past the two creepy baby heads outside the MFA, ordered to be moved to the back of the museum by the mayor because they were creeping out the old people. After departing the Fenway and passing by the Christian Science Center, with a brief history of the religion, we wandered through the south end, passing brownstones and learning why their stairs lead to the second floor. We learned a short history of Copley Square, the public library where one can check out up to 75 books at a time, and a little on the disastrous construction of the Hancock Tower. We noticed that Trinity Church is slightly leaning to one side due to its foundation, and that much of back bay being landfill is to blame. The information just kept on coming as we made our way up to the Boston Common. The group was offered the ability to exercise one of Boston’s oldest laws, yet still in effect. We could have allowed out cattle to graze, or had a duel to settle an outstanding argument with a foe! After, we traveled along Tremont St., the site of America’s first subway, and made our way into the financial district. As we stopped at 21 Milk St., now an electronics store, we pondered what life was like when Benjamin Franklin was born in that location. We then rode on the final leg of the tour down to Long Wharf, where we noticed several historic buildings now dwarfed by the skyscrapers in the area, and looked out towards the busy Logan airport, the new ICA, the federal courthouse and watched the Provincetown ferry dock. We made the short trek back to headquarters and ended the 2.5 hour tour of Boston!
As an all encompassing view of Boston, Urban Adventours does a fantastic job of both showing the best parts of the city and pointing out and educating their riders on some of the most compelling and stimulating facts about the historic city. As for the riding, the tour has a perfect pace, mixing breaks and information with all out riding and exercise. It is the perfect way for a local to gain uncommon knowledge about Boston and get out and see the city through a very unique point of view, while exercising and pointing out 'hotspots' to the oblivious tourists. For the tourist, Urban Adventours provides a safe, fun, effective way to see Boston for the first time. There is no better way to see so many interesting points while learning so much in two and a half hours. You’ll feel charmed, safe, excited and surprised by the entire experience.

more info
Urban Adventours
103 Atlantic Ave.
Boston, MA
617-670-0637
800-979-3370
urbanadventours.com
**Tours run up to four times daily. See
website or call for latest schedules.
Tickets are $50 per person.