On a downtown train

If you've ever taken a trip on the Blue Line, chances are you got off at the airport or the New England Aquarium stops. Shorter and less-traveled than its green, red, and orange siblings, the Blue Line remains shrouded in mystery to many MBTA riders.

Yet what other subway line boasts a cast of such evocatively named stops: Maverick, Orient Heights, Suffolk Downs, Wonderland? Working our way from its origin in Beacon Hill to its terminus 5.94 miles later in Revere, we checked out what's going on at each Blue Line stop, and as its mysteries unfolded, we wondered what had kept us away for so long.

First stop: Bowdoin If you don't know where Bowdoin station is, you're in good company. The point will anyway soon be moot, as the stop is slated to close in the next three to four years. Situated on Cambridge and New Chardon streets, Bowdoin would be useful for nights out in Beacon Hill, except it's open only on weekdays from 5:15 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Exiting the stop sets you on what was centuries ago the bowling green; this is commemorated by a plaque on the old New England Telephone and Telegraph building (now Verizon) that depicts a Colonial dandy seeming to lob a ball at a tree.

Next stop: Government Center The 110-year-old Government Center station has seen changes since the days when the Old Howard Theatre drew in masses for its vaudeville and burlesque shows. Today, the stop is more than an exit point for Faneuil Hall-bound tourists. From July until October, a farmers market runs on Mondays and Wednesdays, while a short walk toward the North End takes you to Blackstone Street, a string of ramshackle storefronts that boasts some of the city's most interesting and unpretentious grocers. Harry's Cold Cut Center (98 Blackstone St., 617-523-8950) is a hidden gem for cheese aficionados, while Boston Halal Meat Market (114 Blackstone St.) stocks a formidable selection of olives, nuts, and imported Middle Eastern goods. (Of course, Blackstone Street is also the site of Haymarket on Fridays and Saturdays.)

Next stop: State You are deep in tourist town when you exit at State Street, and when in tourist town, why not do as tourists do? The Old State House Museum (206 Washington St., 617-720-1713), the former seat of the British government in Massachusetts, bills itself as the city's historical museum. Along with viewing the Revolution-era artifacts, you can read about a curse that predates the Bambino. In a display case at the museum's entrance stands a wooden figurehead that survived wrecks of the two ships it had successively been mounted on; later, it survived a fire at a wharf where it had been placed. Coincidence? You can decide for yourself.

Next stop: Aquarium By the time you get to the Aquarium stop, you might be ready for a rest. At least we were. We skipped the aquarium, bypassed the whale watch vendors, and made a beeline to the Landing at Long Wharf (Long Wharf, 617-227-4321), where mojitos and slushy margaritas awaited us. From our harborside perch, we watched the skyline and the families lining up for Codzilla, the high-speed "thrillboat" run by Boston Harbor Cruises.

Next stop: Maverick Once you exit the first station in East Boston, the Blue Line adventure truly begins. Although named for a 17th-century Colonist, Maverick bares no similarity to the stops preceding it. A Brazilian variety store, a Western Union, and an international foods market all hover around Maverick Square, while close by, Mexican and Salvadoran eateries abound. On a recent Saturday at Taqueria Cancun (192 Sumner St., 617-567-4449), a Spanish-speaking clientele sung along to a jukebox while steaming, double-layered soft tacos topped with beef and cilantro provided fuel for a jaunt to the magnificent East Boston Piers Park (near Marginal and Cottage streets), which offers some of the best views in the city.

Next stop: Airport A Crocs store, a Metropolitan Museum of Art store, and a place called Jetsetter Mini Spa might be reason enough to get off here, but if green open space is more your thing, check out the ultramodern Bremen Street Park, on the site of a former Logan park-and-fly lot. Squeezed alongside residential East Boston, the park has slick, freshly paved walkways on which kids zip by on Razor Scooters, as well as spanking-new swing sets and slides atop springy, carpeted surfaces. Route 1 and airport access roads crisscrossing above and looming Marc Jacobs and Chevrolet billboards lend a "Blade Runner" feel.

Next stop: Wood Island Named for a still-mourned park that was razed in the 1960s, the Wood Island stop is a short jaunt from the bustling Day Square, another East Boston focal point. Setting the tone at the far end of the square is La Chiva (259 Bennington St., 617-569-6200), a fast-food restaurant named for a brightly colored, typically South American party bus (of the sort stationed outside the restaurant). There are plenty of Mexican, Colombian, and Peruvian storefronts, and if you have a hankering for spit-roasted chicken or a low-priced ticket to Peru, you've come to the right place. Also anchoring the square is Spinelli's Pasta & Pastry Shop (282 Bennington St., 617-567-1992), where the handmade manicotti, pan pizza, and assortment of cookies and cakes do the neighborhood's prominent Italian heritage proud.

Next stop: Orient Heights Perhaps nowhere is East Boston's Italian past so pronounced as it is in Orient Heights, which is said to have reminded the early settlers of the land they left behind. Up a steep and winding road leading away from Orient Heights Square, a copper and bronze statue of the Madonna towers over the city; visiting the statue and the nearby shrine (111 Orient Ave., 617-569-2100) offers visitors a unique vantage point for watching Logan Airport, which at this height manages to look small and distant.

Next stop: Suffolk Downs At this point, it's worth mentioning the ride itself. By now the cars are largely empty, leaving you to contemplate the scenery. Breaks in the trees reveal glimpses of the coast, and nowhere else in the city limits do you feel so far outside of them. But now, to Suffolk Downs (111 Waldemar Ave., 617-567-3900), and to horse racing. You don't need to dress in your finest to come to the track, but a tour of the grounds can help you imagine a time when swelling crowds cheered on Seabiscuit, who raced at Suffolk Downs shortly after it opened in 1935. The facility has recently gotten a facelift, and with talk of a casino coming to the site, much bigger changes might be in store.

Next stop: Beachmont Between Suffolk Downs and Revere Beach, and a fairly short walk from both, the residential neighborhood Beachmont unfolds in winding streets of tenement houses, where Virgin Mary statues adorn lawns and snatches of Spanish and Portuguese can be heard from the stoops. Heading back toward Suffolk Downs, Belle Isle Marsh Reservation (Bennington Street, 617-727-5350) is an idyllic detour. The trails winding around Boston's last remaining salt marsh offer some fine bird-watching, including herons, egrets, and mallards.

Next stop: Revere Beach If you've ever stayed on the Blue Line past the airport, you likely got off here. At 111 years old, Revere Beach is still the city beach par excellence, and still brimming with mischief and lust. On a recent stroll along Revere Beach Boulevard, debates on the virtues of eHarmony and the fate of the Red Sox could be heard, along with Brazilian forro music streaming from the apartment building across the street. In no time, we had worked up an appetite, and made our way to the famous Kelly's Roast Beef (410 Revere Beach Blvd., Revere, 781-284-9129), where the trademark sandwich was, true to the hype, downright heavenly.

Last stop: Wonderland If your knowledge of Wonderland is limited to the movie "Next Stop Wonderland," chances are you have no idea what to expect from the end of the Blue Line. On one side of the train lies the ocean, and on the other is Wonderland Greyhound Park (190 VFW Parkway, Revere. 781-284-1300). A few decades ago, there were fewer places in Revere that saw more action; these days, casinos and online gambling have thinned the crowds. Yet on a Friday or a Saturday night you can still find diehards hovering at the edge of the track and yelling things like "Run you little paws off!," while inside, simulcast races give committed wagers their fix from noon until the wee hours of the morning. If you stay until closing, though, you best have driven -- it's too late to catch the T back home.