Meet the Team

Maria

Founder, CEO, Lead Guide

  • 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 lives in the North End now, but 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.

  • 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!

  • 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.

  • In her 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.

Chris

Director of Marketing & Creative

  • 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 met Maria working for Boston City Hall and quickly joined forces with her.

  • Chris has been fortunate enough to visit more than 40 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!

  • 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!

  • 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.

Vehicles

Firefly

Official Tour Vehicle

  • Our first company car, Firefly has been a reliably smooth ride ever since we bought her! A 2021 Toyota Sienna hybrid, she’ll seat up to 7 passengers plus a driver, and still put out 36 MPG, keeping our environmental impact down. With plenty of cupholders and chargers, she’ll make sure everyone inside in comfortable and safe.

  • Firefly is a bit of a homebody, and doesn’t particularly care about traveling far away. She’s been to every state in New England, but is pretty happy to be done with new places at that.

  • She knows all the hidden parking places, and comes with a pass that gives her special access to a roof deck with a sweet view!

  • Firefly is a pretty chill car, and when she’s not busy carrying around loads of visitors, she’s mostly excitedly waiting for the next tour!