If you’re the kind of person who likes to know the hippest restaurants, bars and people in Boston, you will be captivated by this walking guide to Boston’s past. When was Beacon Hill the hot new South End? Who “chilled” at the Warren Tavern? Which famous English author needed a bodyguard to keep from being mobbed by adoring fans? And how did he concoct his favorite designer drink?

Boston Foot Notes evolved out of many walks, talks, laughs and realizations shared by the authors, Jane Grossman and Felice Yager, as they roamed the city with the Yagers’ shaggy dog Molly. The women were transplants --ex-New Yorkers who relished urban walks. Both women had traveled extensively and opined that although there were many books about Boston, it lacked a walking guide that reflected the city’s unique character. Not only that George Washington slept here—but what did he think of the place?

As they got to know Boston and Cambridge, they began detailing routes they thought were the most colorful; they sought out anecdotes of Brahmins, Abolitionists, Dearos and Antinomians, each adding a layer to Boston’s personality. And you will never get lost using this book (unless you want to), as their ingenious foldout maps will keep you on track.

Astonishingly enough, the writing was a completely collaborative effort…the authors joke that they would finish each others sentences, yet as they recount the stories of writing, they do finish each other’s sentences. According to Grossman, “The best part of writing with Felice was being exposed to her flashes of inspiration. I would look at her in wonder—how did she ever think of that? The second best part was her patience and tenacity to get it right. The third, or maybe the most important, was she always made me laugh.” Their next writing project is still in the ether, but will not be as accurate a telling of recorded history…”What we imagine George Washington was thinking,” says Yager, only half in jest.

Ms. Grossman is a co-founder of the former Traveller’s Bookstore in New York City, which sold guidebooks, fiction and nonfiction; published a travel book catalog; and published guidebooks. When she moved to the Boston area in late 1997, she looked in vain for a good walking guide to her new hometown. She found Ms. Yager instead.