Secret Boston

Cower before a Viking, conjure the ghosts of a lost convent, sit on an unsittable bench, artistically arrange abandoned rocking horses, worship a cod, roam ruins of a zoo, tour a dozen enormous eggs perched on an island, honor the forebears of Excel spreadsheets, lose yourself in a trippy Russian artistic dreamscape hidden in a Masonic Hall, honor a huge pear, rent a dragon, find Harvard's secret pig, take a mini gondola ride through teeny Venice, fall in love with a donkey, kiss President Jackson's lips, read 20,000 cookbooks, appreciate bad art, dress up as a marshmallow, hold a cremated elephant in a peanut butter jar.

Far from the crowds and the usual clichés, Boston is a reserve of well-concealed treasures only revealed to those who know how to wander off the beaten track, whether residents or visitors.

An indispensable guide for those who thought they knew the city well, or who would like to discover its hidden face.