April was the month we finally saw Spring prevail over Winter (after taking quite a beating for a few rounds), and with temperatures consistently climbing day by day, I’m hoping it’s here to stay and that we won’t get a freak snowstorm or anything (it’s happened before!) It’s been wonderful being able to wear skirts and dresses without having to layer on leggings or sweaters over and under them.
Sunny days and warm weather aside, April was truly the month that the city of Boston showed the rest of the world exactly why it’s the best. In the wake of a cruel and unfathomable terrorist attack, regular, every day citizens became heroes as they rushed to aid those affected in any way they could (the ONE FUND to date had raised over 20 MILLION dollars!), and tireless authorities and officials made sure they tracked down those responsible in less than a week following the bombing at the Boston Marathon. The city rallied together to show everyone watching that “Boston Strong” was more than just a phrase to help get us through a crisis- but a longstanding and deep-rooted way of life.
There have been so many benefits, charities, fundraisers, raffles, vigils, and other gatherings to support the victims, their families, and the Greater Boston communities, and on Sunday afternoon, I headed down to Lansdowne Street for the sold out “For Boston!” benefit show put together by the Dropkick Murphys. All of the proceeds from ticket sales, merchandise, etc. went directly to helping those affected by the attack, and with performances by Dropkick themselves, State Radio, Big D and The Kids Table, The Parkington Sisters, Old Brigade and Barroom Heroes- all of whom had the most sincere and inspirational words to say about Boston and it’s residents- it turned out to be a really fun, sometimes emotional, but very successful and rewarding day.
Kudos to everyone who participated in the show and for everyone who came down to show their support!
Finally, April ended on a high note. I received some great news at work today (one word: promotion!) and I’m hoping that the luck and good fortune will carry into May as I prepare to attempt some semi-late-in-the-season Spring cleaning, get ready to reboot my diet and fitness regime, and gear up for a little bit of travel and adventure within the coming weeks.
This past weekend, I made it a point to spend some time around the city. It was a little chilly out, but a couple of friends and I headed down to Beacon Hill, then the Common, and finally, Boylston Street- the site of the Boston Marathon bombings and the above-pictured makeshift memorial. A section of the street, stretching down to Copley Square, was still closed off to the public while officials and authorities finish cleaning up the scene.
It was my first time back to the area since before the attack, and it was so strange to see a street that is usually bustling with people on a Saturday night so empty and quiet. The mood was a somber one, despite the relief and elation the night before after Dzhokhar Tsarnaev had been taken into custody. It’s still hard to believe that this happened. It’s still very surreal.
Not wanting to end the night on a depressing note, we headed to Tangierino & Koullshi in Charlestown for a late night snack and some apple flavored hookah. We’d passed by the place while taking a stroll earlier this winter, and quickly added it to our list of things to do and places to check out. It’s a little on the pricier side, but definitely worth a night of splurging if you and your friends want to treat yourselves to an exotic atmosphere, some good food (if you’re just looking for something to pick at, I highly reccomend the Moroccan-Sicilian Eggplant Tagine), a decent martini, and beautiful belly-dancers (yes, the place has belly dancers and they’re INCREDIBLE.)
We rented out a secluded corner of the lounge for a couple of hours called “The Bedouin Cave”, which was sort of like a remodeled brick dome/tent area with plush carpeting, fancy pillows, and dim lighting that made for a really relaxing couple of hours. Apparently there are sometimes tarot card readings that take place in there, too, which I’ll have to remember for the next time.
Sunday was, thankfully, another day without errands to run. After a morning of video games, Sean and I eventually made it down to the South End for a late brunch at South End Buttery where I ate what I can only describe as the best omelette I’ve ever tasted in my life. No exaggeration. It was the most delicious thing. Completely worth the hour and a half wait time for a table (we split an equally delicious cranberry-walnut muffin to hold us over ’til we were seated.) If you have time for a proper breakfast in the morning, that’s the place to go.
After leaving brunch, I managed to snap a couple of photos of the trees blossoming (finally!) around the city before I had to start preparing for the work week. So much pink and soft white and the occasional yellow- colors I missed seeing growing out of the ground and on the treetops over the winter.
To describe the events that have taken place in Boston over the past 24-48 hours would read more like an elaborate script to a Hollywood blockbuster, or like an episode of “Homeland”. I’ve seen some crazy things in my life- but this definitely trumps them all. I have never, ever, seen anything like this.
On Thursday afternoon, following the attack on the Boston Marathon this past Monday and a moving speech given to the city and the nation by President Obama earlier Thursday morning, the FBI and Boston officials released video surveillance footage and photographs compiled after hours and hours of research and tips, of two men they deemed as persons of interest. In the surveillance footage, the men can be seen walking a distance apart, but were later photographed standing together, only to separate again. In footage not released to the public, it is said that one of the men can be seen placing down a backpack and then leaving it shortly before the second blast.
The photographs and the footage were viewed and circulated at such a fast speed that the FBI’s official website momentarily crashed- but it means something- it meant people wanted to find these men. They wanted answers.
Meanwhile, Boston attempted to move forward with healing and helping those affected by the attack.
And then Thursday night happened.
Video surveillance from a 7/11 in Cambridge, around the time an unrelated armed robbery took place, shows one of the marathon bombing suspects entering the store. Shortly thereafter, there was a fatal shooting of a MIT Campus Police Officer and a carjacking nearby, leading police on a pursuit into neighboring Watertown. During this pursuit, an MBTA officer was critically injured.
During the pursuit, which extended into the early hours of Friday morning, various explosives were thrown from the windows of the vehicle being chased and numerous shots were fired at police, leading to a massive gunfight. It became clear after determining there were two suspects involved in the shoot-out and the style of explosive devices they were attempting to detonate that these were, in fact, the two men the FBI were looking for in connection with the marathon bombing.
I had gone to bed on Thursday night following the news of the shooting at MIT, but was woken up around 4 a.m. by numerous phone calls/texts/and social media messages- all of which were essentially the same thing: asking me if I was watching the story unfold. By then, one of the bombing suspects had been killed. The other had fled on foot, leading to a massive manhunt in Watertown. Both suspects had been ID’d as 26 year old Tamerlan Tsarnaev (the one who was killed) and his 19 year old brother, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who immigrated to the United States from Chechnya in 2001.
Within the hour, the MBTA was suspended, which eventually led to taxi service being suspended as well. Certain neighborhoods, including Watertown, were placed on mandatory lock down so that the Boston Police Department, the Massachusetts State Police, the FBI, National Guard, and SWAT could conduct an unprecedented manhunt. No one was allowed to leave their homes. Businesses were ordered to close. All vehicles were ordered off the roads. It wasn’t until I was halfway to my office when I was informed that the order had been extended to the city of Boston as well, and not just it’s neighboring communities that were at risk.
And if you think that a deserted city is eerie, you’d be 100% correct.
via Neal Hamberg for Reuters.
via Jim Davis for the Boston Globe.
via David L. Ryan for the Boston Globe.
via George Rizer for the Boston Globe.
via Jessica Rinaldi for Reuters.
For the remainder of the day, myself and millions of others stayed glued to our televisions, radios, and social media feeds waiting for updates, press conferences, and confirmations. Some people were saying they’d located him, others were saying they’d found more bombs strewn around the area, and some others were saying he was still at large and had possibly fled the state. The uncertainty of the situation, and numerous conflicting reports, was grueling and frightening.
At 6 P.M. a press conference took place, in which we were informed that they hadn’t been able to locate Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, but were going to continue the search. Re-instating MBTA services and lifting the city-wide lock down, citizens were once again asked to stay diligent and keep their eyes open, since the suspect could still be within the area- and still armed and extremely dangerous.
And then there was a lead.
A man in Watertown, stepping out to get some fresh air after being cooped up in his home all day, noticed something amiss with the boat he had stored in his backyard- specifically, the tarp covering had been cut open and there was blood on it. Peering under the tarp, the owner noticed an injured man hiding inside the boat and immediately contacted authorities.
Those of us who hadn’t quite gotten to venture outside and were still glued to the news, frustrated that the suspect hadn’t been apprehended, suddenly heard gun shots in the background of the reports- and watched as officers and authorities scrambled into action and ran towards the scene.
The man in the boat was soon confirmed to be Dzhokhar. He had been injured in the gunfight the night before, and had hidden in the one place authorities had yet to search. After another tense stand-off, authorities were finally able to get him out of the boat and take him into custody- news that sent Boston into a relieved, happy frenzy and saw thousands take to the streets to cheer on law enforcement, and each other- after what had been a traumatic, emotional week:
There’s still a lot of questions that need to be answered, the biggest one being “why?” Why would two legal residents of this country, and this city, who lived and worked here for years, who friends and neighbors described as funny, smart, well-liked and kind, who were believed to be living a life so many people who want to immigrate to America hope for- do something like this? What is the reason? What was the motive?
The other question, of course, is are there others involved? Did this act of terrorism stretch beyond these two brothers? Did they have help? Accomplices? Other attacks planned?
Hopefully with Dzhokhar’s capture and recovery at a nearby hospital, we’ll eventually get those answers. Until then, this was a huge step in closing one chapter of this attack- and this case.
I am so proud of the Boston Police Department, the Massachusetts State Police, the FBI, the brave citizens of this amazing city and the countless unnamed heroes who have emerged in the aftermath of an unfathomable tragedy. This capture- a true victory- is for the people we lost too soon on Monday- Martin Richard, Krystle Campbell, Lingzi Lu. It’s for MIT Officer Sean Collier. It’s for those who were injured.
First and foremost, I’m okay. I’m safe- as are my friends and loved ones in the Greater Boston Area. I am so unbelievably thankful for that.
I had a half day at work yesterday (Patriot’s Day) and after running a couple of errands and meeting up with my mom and my cousin, I had every intention of heading down to the Boston Marathon with them to try and snap a few photos and root on the runners, including a friend of a friend who was participating after months of training and hard work.
My mom changed her mind last minute and asked if we could do something else instead, and together, the three of us headed out to Western Massachusetts to do some shopping and have dinner. A couple of hours later, the marathon was attacked. Two powerful bombs were detonated near the finish line, leaving 3 dead, one being just a small child, over 150 people injured, and the city I love and am proud to consider myself a part of devastated and shaken to it’s core.
The phone lines jammed up and my service was unstable following the attack, understandably, and I apologize to those who tried to reach me via phone calls or texts to make sure my friends and I were okay. I tried to keep people updated on social media but it wasn’t easy, what with how many people were trying to check in with each other all at once. There are no words to describe the panic, the helplessness, of trying desperately to contact friends who were in close proximity of the blasts to see if they were alright- and I wasn’t the only one who experienced it.
I appreciate the concern and well-wishes I’ve received from so many, but ask that they be directed to the victims of this senseless and horrible tragedy. Please keep those we’ve lost, those who were injured- most of who are still fighting for their lives in local hospitals- and the unbelievably heroic first responders and civilians who, without hesitation or regard for their own safety- ran towards the chaos to help others- in your thoughts, your hearts, and your prayers.
In the past 24 hours, I have been so touched by the love, support, and sense of comradery and selflessness around Boston (and all of New England) in these confusing and grim hours. The stories of runners in the marathon continuing on without stopping to Mass General Hospital to give blood, residents offering space in their homes to strangers who were misplaced after evacuations in the area, and people utilizing the emergency hotlines and social media to help others reunite with loved ones who were separated in the confusion- it’s awe-inspiring and heartwarming.
And although there is anger (there always is in the aftermath of terrorism) and the desire to punish those who are responsible for this heinous act, it’s nice to see that everyone is focusing more on doing whatever they can to help out, and being supportive to those affected by the events of the past 24 hours.
Boston is truly one of the best cities in the world- with some of the bravest, most kind-hearted and resilient people around. Keep being good to each other and taking care of one another, everyone. I love you all and I’m so, so proud of the strength and positivity that is stretching far beyond Massachusetts state lines right now.
I love you, Boston.
Thanks again, everyone.
If you want to make a donation/contribution to help the victims, the first responders, and their families, here are a couple of good places to start. I’ll be updating this list in the coming days, so please check back:
Give Blood(Note: As of right now, the Red Cross has PLENTY of blood, but considering the severity of some of the injuries sustained in the attacks, that could change. Keep it on the back burner if they need more!)
Legally Redhead 