Shelves covered in dozens of coffee bean varieties fill this North End institution.

The infamous Boston Mob ran rackets from an office here in the 1970s.

The location of one of the first private Catholic schools in the country, providing a valuable sanctuary during the tumultuous period when Protestant and Catholic students were at odds.

A school used as a model for public education across the country.

"Mock all and sundry things, but leave the saints alone."

A centuries-old church stands as a testament to Boston's "father of architecture."

This funeral home had the honor, if that is the correct word, of hosting the funeral of the famous Sacco and Vanzetti.

This ambitious father and son team reigned supreme over the North End, and witches, for many years.

This area was once known for being a lawless haven for rough-and-tumble sailors, earning the maritime-themed nickname "the black sea."

What was once a true peninsula has now been filled in, causing the water to recede and leaving many streetside "waterfronts" and landlocked "islands."

An interesting decoration on this historic site, this weathervane comes with as many legends as it does questions.

The remnants of a Gilded Age elegance preserved in the middle of a stark modern tower.

A tiny plaque marks the location of the water source that facilitated the birth of modern-day Boston.

This massive tea kettle was once a promotional stunt for the Oriental Teashop.

This headstone marks the grave of an 11-year-old boy killed during clashes in the streets over the boycotting of British goods.

The site where Charles Dickens gave his first public reading of "A Christmas Carol" in the US.

One of the now-less-hidden floral gems of the "Emerald Necklace."

A historic recreation of the golden age of the Erie Canal, abandoned for some time, slowly being restored.

A reversed traffic signal that was once violently misinterpreted as a statement on British-Irish relations.

This Art Deco fortress in upstate New York gives Manhattan's vaunted examples of the style a run for their money.

Surprisingly aquamarine waters fill deep lakes formed at the end of the last ice age.

The original Uncle Sam was actually a New York meatpacker who is buried under this historic grave.

A CT scan revealed the identity of this 3,000-year-old mummy that everyone erroneously thought was female.

The statue of John Harvard isn't actually John Harvard—or even, technically, the founder of the school.