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The view was worth a million bucks - or at least way more than the slightly expensive ticket.

Perched high above the common folk, in Boston's Top of the Hub restaurant, polished fork and fancy water glass in hand, I made a delicate dent in the delectable concoction before me, trying ever so hard not to spoil its picture-perfect presentation.

Of course, that was the point. I was supposed to be ravaging the dessert in front of me - a white chocolate and orange mousse with raspberry filling wrapped in a half-candied, half-cracker shell decorated with faint pink hearts.

But it was the fanciest meal-ender I had ever seen, and I almost couldn't bear to destroy it.

I got over it. On Old Town Trolley's Chocolate Tour of Boston, I was at the chocolate's mercy. "This is the most fun you're ever going to have on a trolley," Ted Galo, a self-proclaimed "professor of chocology" enthused as he took the 40 of us on a three-hour tour of Boston to sample some of its signature desserts and let us in on some of its chocolate secrets.

And we ate it up.

The first stop at the Top of the Hub was a treat indeed. The featured dessert changes weekly for new chocolate guests, and Galo claims even he doesn't know what it's going to be.

It wasn't just the fanciful plate in front of me. On an otherwise ordinary Saturday afternoon, I was surrounded by the restaurant's elegant atmosphere and skyline view of the city.

Our next scene was no less appetizing. Boston's Omni Parker House Hotel - the oldest continually run hotel in the country - had us trying its signature dessert, the original Boston creme pie that was first created there.

And the third and final stop was a destination itself. The Langham Hotel and its famed chocolate buffet was like nothing I had seen before. Tables and tables of elaborate displays of every type of chocolate creation I had never even imagined existed.

But that's the part of the tour I knew was going to happen. Three hours. Three stops. And lots of chocolate.

And while that was enough to entice everyone into working themselves into a sort of chocolate coma, the real fun comes in between the trolley stops and while you're trying to gobble up every last sugary bite.

Galo has been running the chocolate tours for about five years.

"It's a good diversion, a good off-season thing for the restaurants," he said. The company runs trolley tours of the city year-round. But this is his favorite. Why?

"This!," he exclaims, throwing his hands open while we're chatting post buffet at the Langham Hotel.

"I've been sitting down with everyone. These tours are 95 percent local, while the others are 95 percent tourists. It's fun watching people try different things. Plus, it's a happy tour. Who's upset eating chocolate?"

No one here.

Just before Valentine's Day, the tour is filled mostly with couples, though there are some mother-daughter duos and a few groups of friends.

It's a popular treat for sweethearts.

"Valentine's weekend is huge," Galo said. "But last year we sold out every tour between Valentine's and April."

The chance to cuddle up with your cutie while someone else drives you from restaurant to restaurant is obviously appealing.

The surprises are a bonus. The day starts off with a cheesecake lollipop. Yum. Laughs come when you're greeted by Galo's "chef" buddy at Top of the Hub and during his entire tour narration. He complements his speeches with some chocolate-themed tunes.

If the country every elected presidents based on their love for chocolate, he'd be a frontrunner.

He starts off by letting us know that the United States annual consumption of chocolate ranks as number 10 in the world.

"So it's your patriotic duty to get us up there," he said.

Plus, you'll walk away with a bit of the trivia. We learned the history of chocolate companies Hershey, Nestle and Ghirardelli, how chocolate turned from liquid to solid, and how it went from a horrible, prison-type meal to a treat for only the wealthy to the almost everyday edible goodness we all enjoy.

There are a lot of Boston-based tidbits here, of course. We learned, among other things, that fudge was invented in Amherst and we can claim responsibility for Charleston Chews.

The romantic part of the day is sitting at fancy tables - we learned that JFK proposed to Jackie at table 40 in the corner at the Omni - and sharing all those treats. (At the buffet, you and your date should each get different things and share.)

The only downside - if you consider it one - is the inevitable upset stomach you'll have at day's end.

Galo said he's seen people go from the tour bus directly for Chinese food nearby just to get a different taste in their mouths.

This problem could probably be solved by eating a small breakfast before boarding. But it's a small price to pay for the delicious afternoon. "There's a mountain of chocolate in front of you," Galo said. "Don't climb it too quickly."

I say, climb if you want to and enjoy the chocolate ride.

If you go ...

WHAT: Old Town Trolley’s Chocolate Tour

WHEN: Saturdays through April 26. Tours leave from the Trolley Store near Boston Common at 11:30 a.m. and 12:45 p.m. and lasts three hours.

COST: $75 per person.

RESERVATIONS: Required. Call 617-269-7150.

REBECCA KEISTER can be reached at 508-236-0336 or at rkeister@thesunchronicle.com.