"And the manhunt continues"

Boston is again in a state of emergency.  The entire city is on lockdown.  I am trying my very best to avoid all unnecessary coverage, I've already cried enough this week, thank you.

My part in the story starts last night.  After an awful day of allergies, I took two benadryl, a sudafed, and one of the giant blue alka-seltzer severe allergy and headache tablets, and headed off to bed around 9 pm.  I was woken at 10:50 with a text from MIT alert, which I read groggily:

"At 10:48 PM today gunshots were reported near Building 32 (Stata) which is currently surrounded by responding agencies. The area is cordoned off. Please stay clear of area until further notice. Unknown if injuries have occurred. Although the situation is considered active and extremely dangerous, an investigation is underway. Updates will be provided at this site when more information becomes available."

Since the marathon, we've had four or five false alarms about suspicious packages, which I'm glad that I knew about, I'm glad that MIT Police has been on the ball, all that, but in the medication fog, I just kind of shrugged it off.

But they kept coming.

"Responding agencies continue to investigate active shooter incident at Building 32 (Stata). Please stay indoors and away from Building 32 (Stata) and surrounding area."

And friends began to text, wondering if I was okay.  My brow would furrow in that "I'm sleepy don't you understand I took so many pills I can't think straight I'm fine and I need to sleep my head hurts" sort of way, I'd type out "I'm fine, in the dorms" and try and go back to sleep, my town alert with sirens and the whirring of helicopters.

"Update on shooter incident. Responding agencies continue to investigate the situation. The scene is outside of Building 32 (Stata) and 76 (Koch) near Vassar and Main Streets. Injuries have been reported. The situation is still very active and we ask everyone to stay inside."

"Please remain indoors. Police have NOT determined that the campus is safe."

Finally, at 2am:

"MIT Police have determined that the suspect in this evening’s shooting is no longer on campus. It is now safe to resume normal activities. Please remain vigilant in the coming hours."

Another suspicious package warning was sent out at 4:30 am.  And the sounds continued all night, a city wide awake hunting terrorists and killers.

The soporific qualities of the benadryl finally wore off around 6am.  I turned on my computer to find out what went down, and my jaw dropped.

An MIT policeman, aged 26, was killed.  At Stata.  My Stata.  The building I point out to all my friends that visit, calling a mix of MC Escher and Dr. Seuss on LSD.

All buildings at MIT are labeled with numbers.  The fight occurred between Stata and the Koch - between buildings 32 and 76 in the top middle of the map.  I work in building 16, below building 32.  It's about a 30 second walk between my office and seeing gunfire.

One suspect was killed in a gunfight.

One remains at large.

Manhunt.

They're brothers from Chechnya.

I could hardly internalize anything.  It just...didn't make sense.  

I quickly wrote a facebook post letting everyone know I was all right, and sent emails to my family (a bit too early to call home).  I watched the information pour in, and an alert arrived at 6:10 saying classes were canceled and MIT would be closed all day Friday.  A statewide lockdown for the Boston metro area was put into place soon after, and I'm in McCormick with everyone else, still trying to make sense of things.  I'm not sure if I'll be able to anytime soon.

Kemore, completely deserted - from Twitter

Boston Common, also deserted (more pictures here)

South Boston

Saturday and bringing in spring called for a picnic at the Medal of Honor Park in South Boston - hummus, celery, radishes, and greek yogurt cheesecakes for dessert!  (in jars!  oh yes).

I adore these houses...just pick them up where they are, give them an acre of land each instead of being so squished together, and I'd be so happy. 

They're totally giving off the San Fransisco painted lady vibe.  Turrets, balconies, sea foam green, sigh.

The sounds of sirens

...and helicopters, frantic conversations overheard in the street, and me, tearing up, over and over again.

Today was Patriot's Day, a Massachusetts state holiday commemorating the famous battles of Concord and Lexington back in the Revolutionary War.  It's also the day of the Boston Marathon.  I've gone out a couple of times and really enjoyed it (even though running a marathon seems like utter torture to me, it's still a fun spectator sport).  And one friend from grad school set a personal record today - he ran the course in 2 hours and 34 minutes.  What an accomplishment, but to happen on such a day.

He and the rest of the country are always going to remember today as the day that there were two explosions at the finish line in Copley.  My Copley.  I was just there a week ago.  This is my city.  My home.  And I am devastated.  Three are dead, including an eight year old boy.  I finally sat down to watch the video released by CNN of the actual bombing, look at some of the photos, and I am a total wreck.  And my girls here in McCormick...most of them were so young during September 11th that this is the first time that a terrorist attack has really hit home.  You can see their fear. 

This picture was taken around 4 pm this afternoon.  People were still streaming across the bridge towards Cambridge, getting away from the city.  Now, at 9 pm, there are police cars everywhere, and all bridges are closed.  They still don't know who, or why, or if there are any other explosive devices hidden in the city.  No terrorist group has claimed responsibility, and no one knows what's going on. 

MIT to Copley.  The bridge you see in the photo is the one highlighted above.  It's a 30 minute walk to Copley from my place. 

I had to be at work all day (research doesn't take a day off) - so I was at MIT when it all went down...I received an alert from the Washington Post in my email account, and read it in disbelief.  Cell service went down, and I had called home on the landline to let my family know I was okay.  And I am okay---no one I know was injured, only a few friends were downtown, but in reality, I am a mess.  And I wasn't even there.  I can't imagine what it's like to have lived through that, to have seen the sidewalks strewn with detached limbs, running with blood, smoke filling the air.  What has this world come to?  And how will Boston sleep tonight?  The Green Building will watch over us, in the very least. 

from here

French fries at Saus

  

Saus is a Belgian waffle and french fry place right on the Freedom Trail, just past Fanueil Hall and Quincy Market.  Okay, okay, they sell sandwiches, too, but who in their right mind passes up french fries and waffles for a sandwich?

I love this picture so much. 

Also - try the berry sauce.  Perfectly tart, it's a lovely counterpoint to the sweetness of the liege waffle.

Visitors from Philly!

Last weekend was a great one--friends from Philly drove in on Friday night ---bearing belated birthday cake and wine!  I am a lucky girl.

Saturday dawned bright and chilly, and the wind whipped through the streets of Boston as we followed the red brick path of the Freedom Trail to all sorts of Revolutionary War landmarks. 

Quincy Market

The Holocaust Memorial

Paul Revere!

St. Francis, near the Old North Church.

Alas, no pictures from the wonderful evening spent making pork posole, drinking a bottle of wine, eating pastries from Modern, and watching the movie Magic Mike---a film far more serious than all of us thought it would be.

It was so lovely to have a girl's weekend here - I wish they could happen more often!

A walk in Jamaica Plain

My dream house.  Just transplant into a place with enough space for a garden (and a dog) ---and I'm in love.

Spring has sprung!

Chagall Windows, The Art Institute of Chicago

Image from here

A friend recently reminded me how much I adore Chagall's work, and I suddenly got really homesick for the windows at the Art Institute in Chicago...they had been out for repair and re-installation in the new modern art wing between 2005 and 2010, and I haven't seen them in their new home yet.  Maybe I will at one of my three weddings in the Chicagoland area in the next few months?  You never know!

Revere Beach, winter into spring

You can't beat that sky.

Shells and low tide

Natural fractals

Snow, sand, and cerulean water

Boston Public Library

I can't get over how much I adore these arches.

And that baby blue color!

From the Library's dark wood paneled room

Harvard Square, on the cusp of spring

My weekend guests and I had dinner at Bartley's!  Oh, those frappes.