by Maggie Kaiser & Louis Epstein

In a bustling city like Somerville, there’s never a shortage of fun things to do. The challenge lies in determining what’s out there so you can make an informed choice. We often learn about events while strolling around, stopping to read posters on telephone polls or in store windows. But our strolls (and dog-walking excursions) are sometimes limited to a relatively small geographical area which can limit our awareness of city life. That’s why we rely on virtual strolls through Somerville’s online streets to keep abreast of all the excitement that abounds in our 4.2 square miles of goodness.

Our first stop is - you guessed it - Somerville Local First! By following SLF’s updates on Facebook, we were some of the first people to capitalize on the Sherman Market Shift & Save coupon offered a few weeks ago. And the post on this very blog about the Ice Cream Showdown was instrumental in bringing us to GRAND & poor little rich girl on Saturday to try 8 different vendors’ sweet, frozen treats.

When we want to know what’s going on in our favorite squares, we mosey on over to the Davis Square LiveJournal and Union Square Main Streets. We also benefit from a constant drip of tweets and facebook updates from some of our favorite local businesses and organizations, including Sherman Cafe & Market, Taza Chocolate, The Center for Arts at the Armory, the Somerville Public Library and the Somerville Arts Council.

Our Facebook friends alerted us to the totally fun Rock-n-Roll Yard Sale in Union Square

To always stay in the know, we check out the Somerville Scout, the Somerville Journal, and the City of Somerville’s own website where we’ve signed up for email alerts about snow emergencies and community meetings. And we are always on the lookout for new sites and feeds to stoke our Somerville obsession. If you have a favorite, we hope you’ll let us know! And if you’re new to online Somerville, welcome to the community and happy exploring!

by Maggie Kaiser and Louis Epstein

Summer in Somerville is a great time to have a dog. When the weather is fine and the days long, there is nothing better than chilling out with some sunscreen, ice cream, and our dog, Panda.

We rescued Panda two years ago through an organization we found on Petfinder and shortly after we brought her home realized (while picking up the pieces of the chewed front door) that she didn’t like being left alone. Thankfully, through training classes at City Dog Training and behavioral consultations with Gordon at Zen Dog Training we managed to get her separation anxiety under control.

The 8-hour flight back from Paris two months ago set off Panda’s separation anxiety again and this time we turned to a new Somerville business, RiverDog, to keep her happy and exhausted when we can’t be home. This fabulous doggie daycare/groomer/pet supply store in Union Square is under new ownership and we couldn’t be happier to leave Panda in the care of Peter and Priscilla.

RiverDog is conveniently located near Nunziato Field, one of Somerville’s two existing off-leash recreation areas (dogparks). These parks were created by the city due in part to lots of hard work by the Somerville Dog Owners Group (som|dog). We are very excited to someday soon visit a third park, currently under construction in East Somerville, at 0 New Washington Street. If you are interested in getting more off-leash parks in Somerville, get involved with som|dog, and talk to your alderman!

For us and for Panda, dog-loving businesses, friendly neighbors, and space to run make Somerville a truly dog-friendly city.