Fenway Park There used to be a debate: Fenway Park or Boston Garden? But, alas, the wrecker's ball has made the choice for the visitor. (I, myself, used to be a Boston Garden man. It was funkier.) Look for the red seat in the right-field bleachers at Fenway -- it marks the spot where Ted Williams' June 9, 1946 home run landed, the longest measurable homer (502 feet) ever hit inside the Park. Wonder what it would be like to live inside the scoreboard in the left-field wall. (And don't call the wall "The Green Monster" or you'll be known as a tourist.) Bemoan the addition of 610 premium-priced ''club seats'' on the roof, behind home plate. Root for a new Red Sox owner who will improve, not demolish, this walk-in-the-past ballpark. 2. The Boston Marathon course. Get a map. Start in Hopkinton and ride the 26.2 miles into the heart of Boston. You'll be surprised at how long it takes, compared to the usual winner's time of something like 2:09. 3. Harvard Stadium on a football Saturday. Pass on Foxboro Stadium. 4. The Country Club in Brookline. Site of the last Ryder Cup. 5. Ristuccia rink, Wilmington. Go there when the Bruins are practicing. It's high school meets big league.

The North End It's as close to Europe as you can come in the United States, outside of Epcot. The streets wind and bend, Italian is spoken more often than English, apartments are on top of four-star restaurants. The Old North Church -- one if by land, two if by sea -- is in the middle of it all. Pick up the Freedom Trail, marked by a path of red bricks on the ground, and follow it back to the center of town and check out all the historic must-sees along the way. Boston is a city of neighborhoods and the North End is the best one to visit, especially in the summer when there is a different street festival going on every week. 2. Harvard Square 3. Bunker Hill 4. The Bridge in Concord. It's where the Revolution began. 5. Symphony Hall

The Banshee, Dorchester Boston is a city of Irish pubs. Get a copy of the green paper, The Irish Emigrant, and see if there are any big hurling, Irish football or English soccer games taking place on closed-circuit television. Note the time, usually about 10 in the morning, and show up at the pub. The place will be packed. The cheering will be loud. Who cares if you don't know anything about the game or the teams? Stay around for the live music. The Banshee is a personal favorite. (I go there on Monday nights with some guys from my basketball league and we ask for the football game on television and every week the bartender asks "and what channel would that be on?") You pretty much can't go wrong with an Irish pub in Boston. And if you do, there is another just down the street. 2. The Fours, Canal Street. Sports bar near the Fleet Center. Good food. Good memorabilia. 3. Durgin Park, Faneuil Hall 4. Santarpio's pizza, Chelsea Street 5. The Rack, Clinton Street. Where the jocks go.

The Swan Boats They're in every picture of Boston and look great, but they're powered by some kid pedaling in the back, they move about a mile an hour and a screaming kid will no doubt be in the seat behind you. Enjoy the surrounding Boston Common and Public Garden, but say "no" to the Swan Boats. A ride on Space Mountain, they're not. 2. The Prudential Center and accompanying malls 3. The Boston Harbor 4. The Franklin Park Zoo 5. Anything where the directions begin, "Take the Expressway."

The ball through Buckner's legs Sad to say, this is the truth. Ask anyone where he or she was during that fateful sixth game of the 1986 World Series against the Mets and the stories will begin to flow. The one play, the ball rolling through the Red Sox first baseman's legs in the 10th to set up another Series disappointment, is a metaphor for the entire love/hate relationship the Red Sox have with the city. Beat me, beat me...ahhhhh. The Bucky Dent homer in the 1978 one-game playoff with the Yankees is in the mix, but, no, Bill Buckner's error is the logo for Boston sports. 2. Any Celtics Championship. There are 16 of them. The babbling heads who broadcast NBA action today seem to forget, but they do exist. There was a time...aw, forget it. 3. Bobby Orr's goal to win the Stanley Cup for the Bruins, 1970 4. The Ryder Cup, 1999. A late addition. 5. Boston College quarterback Doug Flutie's Hail Mary pass to Gerard Phelan to beat Miami, 1984