This is like Somerville: Redux. (Is that the proper use of redux? I'm not sure.) Back in January I shared with you the fact that I get awfully confused when I drive into Somerville/Cambridge.

I haven't spent much time there since, but on Saturday I took my daughters to a birthday party in Porter Square.

I almost blew it - coming off Route 2 I was in the wrong lane and I missed my turn onto 2A, which would take me right to the place where the party was.

But I popped the map onto my phone and immediately I knew what to do.

You can see 3/16 on the left of that map I've provided. That's where I was. And you can see 2A, where I should have turned. A little farther north I saw Broadway, so I took that turn.

Broadway veered slightly right at Holland Street. (This is the area where I went to Joshua Tree back in January.) Then, a little later, it veered a bit more right on Elm. Off of Elm was White Street, and that's where the shopping center was where the party was being held.

Also in that shopping center - a Shaw's Supermarket. This is the same Shaw's parking lot where I parked (not exactly legally) once in a while to attend graduate classes at Lesley University ten years ago!

Once I realized that connection, a lot of other pieces of the Somerville puzzle started falling into place.

It's only a slightly Newer Thing than the time I wrote about Somerville in January - but it's a pretty New Thing.

I don't think I'm intimidated by driving into Somerville anymore.

But there's a big negative to this:

No longer can I rely on my old crutch for when I'm late to something in Somerville.

Because it's just not true that I have no idea what I'm doing when I drive in Somerville anymore.