I was not watching the marathon...

Item Information

Title:
I was not watching the marathon...
Creator:
Bechard, John
Date:
April 15, 2013
Format:
Documents
Genre:
texts (documents)
Location:
Northeastern University Library
Collection (local):
Our Marathon
Series:
Public submissions
Subjects:
Boston Marathon Bombing, Boston, Mass., 2013
Places:
Massachusetts > Suffolk (county) > Boston
Link to Item:
http://hdl.handle.net/2047/D20264430
Terms of Use:
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Contact host institution for more information.
Language:
English
Notes:
Submission text: I was not watching the marathon or watching television for that matter when the bombs went off. I found out about it indirectly when my niece texted me with the message saying she hoped I was not at the marathon. I didn't know why she asked that but figured something was up and turned on the television and found out. I was shocked as anyone else I suppose. What really struck me was how quickly news travels around the world. I got messages from friends from around the world checking to see if I was ok. The whole week was very surreal as the search for the people responsible for the bombing was like a suspense movie. There was definitely tension in the air the whole week. I actually remember riding by MIT on my bicycle the night the security officer was slain. I did not know what had happened at the time but noticed a lot of police cars. Later at home I actually heard what sounded like gunshots from my home in North Cambridge which is not very far from Watertown. I went to bed and woke up in the morning to find out exactly what it was I heard. The whole week had the sounds of sirens and helicopters. On the Friday when they had the lockdown it was so strange to not see anyone outside and just hearing the sounds of sirens and helicopters. One thing I remember thinking was what kind of effect would it have on visitors coming to Boston. Would people think Boston was not a safe place to visit? After the suspect was captured things felt a lot less tense around the city. I noticed people walking around with their families looking like they just wanted to get back to normal again. It did take about a week before the sound of a siren did not immediately take you back to that surreal week.
Crowdsourced submission originally received via the Our Marathon "Share Your Story" page.
Crowdsourced submission originally received via the Our Marathon "Share Your Story" page.
Notes (historical):
Contributor Name: John Bechard; Contributor Age: 57; Current Location: 02138