Perhaps no dessert is so closely associated with a city than the beloved Boston cream pie. But its association with the Hub and the surrounding region goes deeper than just a name.

 The Boston Marathon began its trek through the streets of the city in 1897, making it the oldest annual marathon in the world. Though the race originally started in Ashland, in 1925, it was moved to the corner of Ash Street and East Main Street in Hopkinton in order to conform to new Olympic standards set by Queen Alexandria and King Edward VII.

 Fenway Park is one of the oldest and smallest baseball stadiums in America—and also one of its most beloved. Situated in the middle of a dense city block, the park has endured a lot over the years, including multiple fires, threats of demolition, and a near-century-long losing streak from its home team. Nevertheless, Red Sox fans consider it sacred—some even going so far as to spread family members’ ashes on its grounds—and with a 100th anniversary under its belt and no end date in sight, Fenway seems poised to play on for generations to come.

  The November election of Marty Walsh signaled a return to a long tradition of Irish-American mayors in Boston. Starting in 1885, Hugh O’Brien of County Cork became the city’s first Irish mayor, and in the 1900s, Irish-American politicians held the mayor’s seat for 85 out of 100 years. However, Boston’s Irish residents weren’t always so accepted.

Serving as a leafy link between the Public Garden and Frederick Law Olmsted's park system, Commonwealth Avenue is arguably the grandest boulevard in Boston.