I don't typically go to a specific page to test my connectivity. I go straight to whatever task I set out to do, then if that doesn't work, I do the following:

1. Fire up Terminal

2. Check loopback

		$ ping localhost

3. Identify default gateway

		$ netstat -nr | grep '^default'

4. Ping whatever gateway I find

    $ ping 172.20.1.254

5. Try a known good IP address

    $ ping 4.2.2.2

6. Check to see if the resolver is working (get root servers)

    $ dig

7. Check to see if I can resolve specific hostnames (try a known good one first)

    $ dig google.com

8. Check the specific hostname I'm trying to reach (but failed)

    $ dig bradlanders.com

9. Try a name server other than the one I'm using

    $ dig @4.2.2.2 bradlanders.com

10. Test IP routing to the destination IP

    $ mtr 69.163.164.23

10. Assuming each of these passes, you can safely say the target service is down

Each successive step is taken only if the preceding fails.

   # netstat -nr | grep '^default'

Am I correct in inferring that you have used Unix for a very very long time? The ^ stopped being a magic character in Unix shells a long time ago, but many old-timers (myself included) still sometimes quote it out of habit.

I've only been using Unix for about 10 years, but I quote arguments to grep out of habit. I find it easier (probably mental laziness) to just single quote everything I feed to grep, rather than mentally parsing what I'm about to type and deciding whether it requires quotes. So basically, I've substituted an extra two characters for my ever decreasing mental acuity :)

I usually have a Terminal window open, so I ping one of our production servers, which is hardcoded with a short name in my /etc/hosts file. This ensures that basic networking is working. I then try to reload a random open browser tab. If that fails, I know a DNS issue is likely to blame.

I generally head here, to HN - the dynamic content means I know it's a new page not a cache on my machine, which concerns me with other pages. It also loads reasonably fast, so I have an answer either way without too much hassle.

I probably ping 8.8.8.8 more often than opening any specific page in my browser, but I'll often check one of a number of news sites.

Same here, the second a connection time-out occurs I would either ping to 8.8.8.8 or 4.4.4.4

Google's homepage is also my "test printer" page, as it uses little ink and the normal logo will test all the colors in a device.

Our own websites, helps to know network details of the far end.

bmw.de. It's a URL that typically people from the US don't hit, so it is a good check of DNS and connectivity.

Own homepage

www.cnn.com

x.com