Deano’s Fresh Pasta Mural. — Photos courtesy of The SomeSights Map

By Jeffrey Shwom

Google Maps is used by over a billion users globally. In Somerville, one of those users, a work-from-home 3D graphics programmer, spends his time outside walking around documenting and sharing all of the “odd” things that make Somerville interesting and historic. 

The Times caught up with Eric Haines, a Magoun Square-adjacent resident, who has created “The SomeSights map.” If you have Google Maps on your phone or computer, The SomeSights map points will show up as a filter overlaying Somerville. It functions similar to how the Porchfest map works during the annual outdoor music festival (coming back May 2025), with symbols like a painting palette, a guitar (to indicate the band Guster’s Somerville home, for example), squirrels, municipal buildings and more indicating notable sites and points of interest. Sometimes obscure, definitely Somerville. Per Google Maps, the SomeSights map has almost 272,000 views to date.

The SomeSights map has eight categories including Atlas Obscura (local choices from the organization that documents and promotes the world’s hidden wonders, unusual destinations, and incredible histories), Handsome Houses (Eric’s “totally arbitrary” choices), Newer Switchboxes (painted lighting boxes), and Paw prints in concrete. Paw Prints started as a request by a Facebook user whose kids wanted to find paw prints around town. 

The Leaning Tower of Borders, Medford-Somerville historic boundary marker.

Eric told us, “Part of my map was to point out the other maps. (For example), there is a map of all the borderline markers from 150 years ago. Little carved pillars.” There is another map that shows historic catch basins and sewer covers, starting from the late 1800’s. 

The SomeSights map was started in the late 2010s. Like many folks experience, his doctor had advised him to be more active. Before the pandemic, he would go to the gym but when the pandemic hit, Eric had to switch things up. “Let’s walk outside. Let’s do outside stuff. At that time, a person, Kami Ford, was moving out of the area. She had all the Free Little Libraries on a map (now called the Free Book Box and Micro-Pantry Map). That became my summer project in 2020 and 2021, visiting them all and covering them all.” During that time, he added community fridges and micropantry boxes that offered free food in Arlington, Medford, Somerville, and Cambridge. And he found other maps created by folks online. “There are a lot of little crazy maps. People trying to keep track of these oddities.”

The whole thing started to “snowball” by then, with Eric asking himself, “What else could I do? He added the Somerville Arts Council’s Art Map, referenced by another user Emily Bhargava, and still has been “visiting and verifying the locations and photographing” as he goes around. “I gathered up all the artist stuff in public spaces. About half of the sites or a third had disappeared, as is natural. I started saying, ‘Oh I will go visit all of those.’ It became a quest to obsessively record all of these different things.” One of the most obsessive things he has documented is rabbit tracks in concrete. “Once you start looking for stuff, you just find more and more. I keep the paw prints that tell a story.”

We asked what he has learned in his wanderings. “Somerville is a very walkable city. It is just great that you can walk the whole thing. It has four dimensions, the fourth dimension of time … I am looking at something … what is that? What does that mean? Then, you find out that is where the old factory was.”

As for him personally, “I have not reached the level of zen in life where I can just take a walk. I feel like I want to do more than take a walk (and) have a reason to go visit a place.” He said he has turned to “going around with a grabber and a trash bag and picking up trash. I will do that, and I think half of the people think I am a crazy person. Sometimes, people will say thanks, and I say you’re welcome. By doing this while I am picking up junk, I can make it a little bit nicer for everybody.” Amen to that, neighbor.

Visit http://bit.ly/somesights and explore.