Meet the Team

Background

A long-time Boston resident with a passion for Boston history and exploring the city, Maria has lived in Boston since attending University of Massachusetts Boston over a decade ago. She and her partner Chris (in business and life) live in Dorchester now, but she has lived in more than 20 apartments across most of Boston's neighborhoods.

Before starting Boston Hidden Gems, Maria created and grew the first ever data engineering team for the City of Boston, bringing data analytics and automation to Boston's City Hall. She will happily regale you with stories about the inner workings (or lack thereof) of local city government.

Boston Specialties

Maria is passionate, funny, and full of quirky historical knowledge about Boston. Ask her about any statue or cool building that you see as we pass it, chances are she knows something about it! She loves good food and a nice cold beer, and knows where to find the best lobster roll and chowder in Boston. Having been enthusiastically eating and drinking her way through the area for over a decade, she can recommend a place to try any cuisine that comes to your mind!

She loves giving visitors an inside scoop on the hidden gems of the city, food, history, culture, and entertainment.

Travel

An experienced traveler, Maria has been to all seven continents and got married in Antarctica, and has plenty of stories to share about her life abroad too! She spent a semester abroad in college attending Oxford, and will constantly point out that many Hogwarts scenes for the Harry Potter franchise were filmed there. Her favorite city (besides Boston) is Amsterdam, and she tries to visit every year!

Hobbies

In her rare spare time Maria can be found playing video games, reading, camping, and traveling. She enjoys discovering new restaurants and hidden areas of Boston, and adding new material to her extensive catalog of knowledge about the city.

Background

Although raised in Vermont, Chris returned to his family roots in Boston in the early 2010s, when he attended Northeastern University. He spent 4 years as a campus tour guide, and never fully stopped talking about how much he enjoyed it. He has worked for several major Boston companies, including TJX, John Hancock, and DraftKings, and has witnessed first-hand the recent growth of Boston's tech market. He and Maria met working for Boston City Hall, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Boston Specialties

Chris is, first and foremost, a sports fan. Although his true love is soccer (and if you ask, he will explain the etymology behind "football" vs "soccer"), he keeps an eye on all of Boston's teams, counting down the days to another championship parade. Aside from sports, his time as a real estate agent gave him an understanding of all the neighborhoods, and his sweet tooth will point you in the right direction for your after-tour treats!

Travel

Chris has been fortunate enough to visit more than 45 countries, and every continent! His favorite was, of course, Antarctica, where he and Maria were married! He spent summers abroad in college in Sarajevo, Belgrade, and Buenos Aires, and has also completed multiple month-long regional explorations around the world. He dreams of returning to Sarajevo, but always makes sure he visits a new country every year!

Hobbies

Most often, Chris can be found trying to find a soccer game on TV, even if it's not a team he cares about. He's also a news junkie, and can often be found with his nose deep in a 10,000-word article. You'll also find him playing video or board games, cooking, or cuddling his dog on the couch.

Background

Alexandria enjoys a variety of activities and interests while living in Boston. She loves social dancing, particularly swing and Latin styles, and finds joy in singing with a choir. With a background as a high school foreign language teacher, she values both learning and teaching. In her free time, she hosts board game nights with friends and indulges in her favorite treats: ice cream and gelato.

Boston Specialties

Alexandria loves exploring the diverse neighborhoods that make Boston so unique. Whether she's wandering through historic streets, visiting local shops, or uncovering hidden gems in vibrant districts, she's always on the lookout for something new. Her passion for the arts draws her to Boston's lively arts and music festivals, where creativity is everywhere. As a regular at the Museum of Fine Arts, Alexandria never misses a chance to check out new exhibits, fully embracing the rich cultural life the city offers.

Travel

Alexandria spent a year in Germany, working with children at a local community center. During her time abroad, she explored several countries, immersing herself in museums, historic landmarks, and sampling the local cuisines. She developed a particular fondness for train travel, appreciating how it allowed her to experience both the busy cities and the scenic countryside while enjoying the journey itself.

Hobbies

Alexandria loves spending her days exploring different coffee shops and biking through Boston's city center or the nearby forest preserves. On quieter days, she enjoys taking walks with friends or unwinding at home, where she paints with watercolors or strums her ukulele, embracing moments of creativity and relaxation.

Background

Jenny has lived a third of her life so far in Southern California, a third in the Pacific Northwest (mostly Vancouver, BC) and the most recent third right here in Boston!

Jenny holds Bachelor's degrees in Psychology and Engineering. She has worked in a variety of fields including software development, mortgage processing & underwriting, estate administration, food rescue, tutoring, and homeschooling. Jenny has also had many volunteer gigs including animal care at the Ellen Gifford Shelter in Brighton - the oldest cat sanctuary in America!

Boston Specialties

Jenny loves storytelling, in person, on film and in print, both fact and fiction. She is especially drawn in by unique sites with a story to tell about the personalities and intellects that helped shape our past and present. She looks forward to sharing some of those stories with you!

Jenny's favorite Boston site is the Boston Common for its amazing combination of history and diversity of current use as a true common space for events as varied as the 250th anniversary of the US Army, the staging of the Boston Marathon & nonprofit events like our Winter Walk, plus free Shakespeare performances in the summer, protests, public speeches and vigils. Also, she recommends unique Boston experiences such as a trip through the Mapparium (a stained glass globe dating from the 1930's).

Travel

Jenny loves a road trip and has travelled primarily across North America, in addition to some overseas (and especially would like to return to Iceland). She enjoys being almost everywhere and starts to feel at home within days - and also likes to help others get settled and feel at home.

Hobbies

In her free time, Jenny loves spending time outdoors walking & birdwatching, reading, listening to music and singing, baking, knitting, trying not to kill houseplants, spending time with furry friends and human loved ones, and watching shows and movies with her kids (a defensive move so she'll have any idea what they're talking about).

Background

Mark has been living, studying, working and playing in the Boston area for over 45 years and loves to share his knowledge of the city and its surroundings with friends new and old. He has spent time as an award-winning audiovisual producer for museum exhibitions and public learning spaces; as a creative technologist for public broadcasting and higher education; and as a communication designer for the recording industry. Over the years Mark has completed projects for several iconic Boston institutions including the USS Constitution Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts, the Institute for Contemporary Art, and the Boston Children's Museum.

Boston Specialties

On a given day you might find Mark paddling his kayak on one of Boston's waterways, enjoying live music at one of the city's many entertainment venues, participating in a cultural program at a local museum, or taking in a baseball game at Fenway Park. Boston has so much to offer it can be difficult to choose, but it is this combination of history, recreation, and culture that keeps Mark here.

Travel

Mark is happiest when on a road trip near or far, and has traveled extensively in New England as well as much of the United States and Europe. He spent a year abroad studying at University College, London and still dreams about floating through Camden Locks on a houseboat. Every trip is an adventure, but returning home to New England never gets old.

Hobbies

Mark loves to spend time indoors playing guitar, or reading with a cat in his lap, almost (but not quite) as much as he loves to spend time outdoors hiking, paddling, swimming and cycling with his wife and daughter.

Background

A legitimate salvage from a dealership in 2025, The Roci is our Ford Transit-150 passenger van. With room for up to 9 guests, she's the one you want when you're rolling deep. Sturdy, spacious, and always ready for action, The Roci has never met a group she couldn't handle.

Boston Specialties

The Roci knows that doors and corners are where they get you, but she navigates Boston's tight streets like a pro. She takes pride in fitting into parking spots that have no business fitting a van her size, and she's got climate control dialed in so everyone stays comfortable, whether it's a July heat wave or a February deep freeze.

Travel

Unlike her smaller sibling Firefly, The Roci loves a long haul. Parking a full-size van in Boston is no joke, so she's always looking for an excuse to get out of the city. Salem, Lexington, Concord, Plymouth - the farther the destination, the happier she is. She's convinced she was built for adventure, and honestly, she's not wrong.

Hobbies

When she's off duty, Roci enjoys being admired in the parking lot, judging Firefly for being small, and dreaming about the open road. She's a team player at heart though, and is always first to volunteer when a big group comes calling. You could say she's got a crew of her own.

Background

Our first company car and the original member of the fleet, Firefly is a 2021 Toyota Sienna hybrid that seats up to 6 guests. At 36 MPG she's a leaf on the wind when it comes to fuel efficiency, and with plenty of cupholders and chargers, she keeps her passengers comfortable and shiny on every ride.

Boston Specialties

Firefly knows all the hidden parking places and comes with a pass that gives her special access to a roof deck with a sweet view. She may not be the biggest boat in the 'verse, but she'll get you there and she'll find a spot when she does.

Travel

You can't take the sky from her, but Firefly would really rather just stay within a couple hours of Boston. She's been all over Massachusetts and considers that more than enough exploring for one lifetime. She'll get you where you need to go, but don't expect her to be excited about it if the GPS says more than 90 minutes.

Hobbies

Firefly aims to misbehave on occasion, but mostly that just means sneaking into the good parking spots. When she's not carrying around visitors, she's keeping an eye on The Roci and making sure the big girl doesn't get too full of herself. She was here first, after all.