The tolling of church bells reverberated throughout Boston on Monday, commemorating one week since the bombings at the Boston Marathon. The attacks killed three people, injured more than 180, and terrorized the city for several days.
At 2:50 p.m. the exact time of the first explosion Boston and the commonwealth observed a moment of silence.
On Boylston Street, where the bombings occurred, makeshift memorials of stuffed animals, flowers, signs, American flags and running shoes have blossomed on both sides of the police barrier. Hundreds of people gathered in a dense throng in what would usually be one of the busiest intersections in Boston. But it was completely silent.
Noah McMillan from Charlestown came to pay his respects. He was dressed in a Boston Red Sox t-shirt.
“It’s, like, surreal,” he said. 'It’s like a movie, almost. The entire city went quiet. It’s one of the biggest cities in the world. It’s amazing. It’s what makes us better than everybody else.”
People in nearby office buildings pressed up against the windows, watching and waiting.
Near the crime scene, the moment of silence lingered well beyond the official minute. The closer you were to the finish line, no one was in a rush to talk.
Once church bells in the distance rang out Amazing Grace, people started to move.
Andrea Gonzalez, who was working at the Prudential Center at the time of the bombing, was trying to make her way to the front of the crowd to place a single white lily at the foot of the police barrier.
She says the moment of silence gave her an opportunity to reflect.
“I couldn’t help but think about when it happened, but I also felt a strong sense of solidarity amongst the members of Boston, and sometimes that’s difficult to find in this area to feel,” she said. “I think is really special and I’m glad I came.”
Just down the street on the steps of the State House, Gov. Deval Patrick, Lt. Gov. Tim Murray, and lawmakers from across the state gathered to pay tribute to those killed and maimed in the terror attacks.
The governor sent out this message over twitter: “Together we share in a moment of silence. God Bless the people of Massachusetts.”
