Hidden Beantown - 10 Great Unknown Places In Boston

Most people know the top destinations in Boston: Faneuil Hall, Fenway Park, Boston Common, Cheers (It'll always be the Bull & Finch Pub to me.) But where do you go after you've seen these things? After you've been on one too many Duck Tours? Here are some of the out of the way spots in the Boston area that you might not find in a tour guide.

1) Constitution Beach
It's on the other side of the Tobin, but Constitution Beach is a neat little place for some alternative beachgoing. Sure, you can lay in the sun, go swimming, and have a picnic, but here you have the added bonus of watching planes from Logan taking off over your head.
1 Trident Street, East Boston

2) Summit Ave in Brookline
Summit Ave is a street that stretches between Comm Ave and Beacon St. In between the two there is a park with a great view of the city skyline. Bring comfortable shoes though, Summit Ave isn't just a clever name. It's exactly what it sounds like. It's a little easier to make the hike from Commonwealth Ave than it is from Beacon St, but either way is worth it.
Summit Ave, Brookline

3) Mapparium
The Mapparium is a giant three-story stained glass globe located in the Mary Baker Eddy Library at the Christian Science Center. The globe was built decades ago, so all of the country boundaries are as they were at the beginning of the 20th century. Also, the Mapparium reflects sound in strange ways, so if you make the slightest noise in the center of it, everyone in the world can hear you. Get it? Everyone in the world??
200 Massachusetts Ave, Boston

4) May's Café
May's Cafe is a Taiwanese/Korean/Japanese restaurant off the beaten path near the corner of Harvard and Comm Ave. Don't come here looking for safe, Americanized Asian food. You're not going to find Kung Pao Chicken. What you will find is a good atmosphere, nice people, and a menu filled with delicious, unexpected flavors.
95 Glenville Ave, Allston

5) Hover-car Garage Door
If one were to walk down Boylston street from Mass Ave towards Copley, and if one were so inclined to look at the Hynes Convention Center as they approached the fire station, they would see a garage door on the second floor of the building which, if opened, would lead nowhere. There are two explanations for this: either the architects of the building added the door with the hopes that we would all be driving hovercars in the future, or the land around the convention center is eroding at an alarming rate.
Dalton St, near Boylston St , Boston

6) The Grasshopper
Tofu that isn't really gross. In fact it's quite good. Delicious, even. The Grasshopper is a vegan Chinese food restaurant with cuisine that is just as good (if not better) than traditional Chinese dishes. One of the nice things about the food here is that it leaves you satisfied, and doesn't make you hungry an hour later. Try the eggplant asparagus suprise. And the limeade. And everything else.
1 North Beacon Street, Allston

7) Museum of Bad Art
This museum is located in the basement of a movie theater in Dedham, and contains works of art that could only be acquired from countless hours searching remote thrift shops and dumpsters. Works include landscapes like "Two Trees in Love" and portraits like "Sunday on the Pot With George" (a pointillist depiction of a large man, who looks coincidentally like former Attorney General John Ashcroft, sitting on a chair in his underwear.) But fear not, not all the pieces in the collection are this disturbing.
580 High Street, Dedham

8) Blue Hills Reservation
Ok, so this is in Milton, and it's kind of tricky to get to on the T, but if you can make it down here there are miles and miles of hiking trails, a great pond to swim in, and some good old fashioned nature to enjoy. If you get here early enough on a weekend to snag one of the picnic tables with grills you can really make an entire day out of it. Who knew nature and Mattapan could exist in such close proximity to one another?
695 Hillside St, Milton

9) Mr Sushi
Oh great, another sushi place in Coolidge Corner. What makes this one so special? Well, for one you don't have to finance a California roll and you also don't have to call to make reservations for your child's graduation dinner while they're still teething. The food is great, and everyone there is so nice that you can't help but leave with a smile on your face. Plus sometimes they have these delicious little strawberry candies at the door that somehow perfectly compliment a sushi meal.
329 Harvard Street, Brookline

10) Johnny D's Market
You can walk into Johnny D's with $12 in your pocket and when you leave, you will probably have a little bit of change, and a whole lot of tasty produce. They have specials on different types of fruit all the time, and if you are having trouble deciding what to get, Johnny D himself is on hand most of the time to point you in the right direction. How many supermarket produce sections that you know have an actual Johnny D? None, right? That's what I thought.
381 Washington Street, Brighton

If you can think of any other gems in the Boston area, or anywhere else, feel free to post them at http://www.thisplaceiknow.com