We arrived at Boylston at 2:35...

Item Information

Title:
We arrived at Boylston at 2:35...
Date:
April 2013
Format:
Documents
Genre:
texts (documents)
Location:
Northeastern University Library
Collection (local):
Our Marathon
Series:
"Your Story"
Subjects:
Boston Marathon Bombing, Boston, Mass., 2013
Places:
Massachusetts > Suffolk (county) > Boston
Link to Item:
http://hdl.handle.net/2047/D20265640
Terms of Use:
Copyright Not Evaluated. The copyright and related rights status of this Item has not been evaluated. Please refer to the organization that has made the Item available for more information. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/CNE/1.0/ Requests for permission to publish material should be addressed to Northeastern University Library's Digital Scholarship Group (dsg@neu.edu).
Contact host institution for more information.
Language:
English
Notes:
Item Text: We arrived at Boylston at 2:35 ready to cheer on a close friend who was soon to finish her first marathon. When the first explosion went off, I was startled - first thinking it was a celebratory cannon but then thinking it was too loud and weird timing for that. I looked over and saw the smoke rising. I said to the stranger next to me that it didn't seem intentional, and we were both looking down the street trying to figure it out when the second one went off much closer to where we were standing. I saw the fireball and realized it was a bomb. In that moment it seemed like they were coming down Boylston St in our direction and we immediately turned to run down Fairfield St. I expected the next one to be right behind me. My goal was to run as far from the buildings as possible because it seemed like that's what was exploding. My friends and I were separated, some running further than others. When I was wandering back up to Comm Ave alone, a woman who lived on the street offered to take me in if I needed it, which was very kind. I was able to call my mother who had no idea what was happening. She called me back and told me what she could see on TV. Soon, my friends and I found each other on Comm Ave and then just walked towards downtown to get out of there. So many people lost so much on Monday and I pray for them. I consider myself very lucky to have not been harmed and that the friends I was with were not harmed. To all of the people who ran into the scene to help, you are incredibly brave and amazing people. I hope everyone else who was nearby and experienced this takes the time they need to process and deal with it in your own ways. I love Boston, my home, more than anything, and this attack feels very personal for a lot of us. But this week the city has felt stronger than ever and I know we'll get through it.
Notes (acquisition):
This story was collected by the Boston Globe in the days immediately following the Boston Marathon Bombing. GlobeLab collected these anonymous stories on the Boston.com website and donated them to the Our Marathon Archive. We are grateful for this contribution, which gives insight into how Bostonians and visitors to the city understood the bombing events in their immediate aftermath.