Boston ( CNN ) -- The `` Green Monster , '' a wall that looms 37 feet over left field in Fenway Park , may just about sum up the kind of pride Bostonians have for their city : It 's old , immense and helps guard against cheap shots . So when two bombs tore through the crowds at the Boston Marathon last week , the city 's response was so instinctive and full-throated that it made even the most ardent of Yankees fans a little proud . `` We pride ourselves on this family-community way of being , '' said Mariah MacFarlane , a North End resident tending bar downtown . `` Any person who attempts to disrupt that , there 's no chance we 're not going to take it personally . '' Natives often tout their Boston bona fides when traveling outside the city , added resident Stephen Tang . And when there 's trouble , `` everybody helps out . '' That played out in the heart of the city last week as first responders rushed to help scores hurt in the smoldering aftermath of a rare terrorist attack on U.S. soil . The April 15 bombings killed three people and injured more than 170 . From backpacks to 'flash-bangs ' : Boston 's week of terror . But by nearly all accounts , it could have been much worse . `` Moments like these , terrible as they are , do n't show our weakness ; they show our strength , '' said Suffolk County District Attorney Dan Conley . Days later , Boston transformed into a virtual ghost town as authorities fanned out across the region and honed in on one of two surviving bombing suspects in a quiet suburb roughly 10 miles west of the attack . How to help in Boston . When the lockdown was lifted and the suspect in custody , residents poured out onto city streets to cheer on police and chant , `` We love Boston ! '' `` It 's in your blood , '' said Colleen Bergeron , a Massachusetts native who has since moved to Richmond , Virginia . `` Even my grandmother 's a Red Sox fan . '' A week later : Boston honors victims . `` I 've lived all across the country and there 's nothing like it , '' she added . The city , New England 's biggest , anchors a half-ring of suburbs that make it the nation 's 10th-largest metropolitan area . But Boston is the quintessential little big town , with a deep reservoir of history that includes often embellished tales of Samuel Adams and Paul Revere . Its brick-bound patchwork of ethnic enclaves and blue-collar neighborhoods give the place both a sense of community and a don't-mess-with-us air . Still , last week 's attacks likely will leave an indelible impression on its time-honored traditions . On the third Monday of April every year dating back to 1897 , Massachusetts has celebrated Patriot 's Day with the running of the Boston Marathon . `` Here 's what you usually do on marathon Monday , '' explained 30-year-old Damian Barreiro . `` You go the Red Sox game to catch a good buzz , and then you head over to the finish line to see everyone cross . '' `` Now , it 's a day of sadness and remembering . '' While much of the region has since edged back to normal , a six-block area downtown remains a barricaded crime scene . But this week an ailing Mayor Thomas Menino , who 's been a fixture in office for nearly two decades , defiantly stood from his wheelchair to announce plans to reopen Bolyston Street . `` It 's time to move this city forward , '' he said . Did one brother brainwash the other ?
Boston bartender : `` We pride ourselves on this family-community way of being '' Prosecutor : The bombing exposed Boston 's strength , not weakness . Rich in history and diversity , Boston is the quintessential little big town . The attack left an indelible mark , but mayor says it 's `` time to move this city forward ''