8 Years Later, There's No Finish Line: The HUB

The HUB is a rundown of the stories people in Boston are talking about. Patch publishes the HUB every weekday.

Good morning, Boston! Today is Friday, April 16. We're talking 10 things to do this weekend, wondering if Boston needs its mayor to be born here and reviewing "This Is A Robbery."

But first...

I was working on The Boston Globe's Sports Desk during the Boston Marathon bombings eight years ago yesterday.

In retrospect, it was such a unique place to be — to see pain and recovery and hope and anger and heroism play out from that perch. I'll never forget thumbing through the photos that didn't make the paper the next day. I was at the first Red Sox game after the bombings, but I can remember those photos infinitely more clearly than I can that David Ortiz speech.

I was regular at McGreevey's at the time, one of the Boylston Street bars rocked by the explosion. I don't think I ever got a drink there again without spending a moment considering that day.

I expected at some point to pass by the day just like your birthday when you get older — you know it's special, but you don't give it much mind. Now I'm not sure that day will ever fade away for me. For everyone who lived it, maybe that day just doesn't have a finish line.

Anyways, nothing particularly newsy to start you off this morning. Sometimes it's OK to take a minute and reflect. Today I just really missed the Marathon.

If you do want to read something about that day, former US Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky shared a brief reaction in the Globe the following week.

And below, see the finish line get a new coat of paint yesterday.

Check it out

Here's an interesting question: Do residents think their mayor needs to be Boston-born and bred? GBH's Adam Reily thumbs through some fascinating city history and examines the current race to find an answer. Of note: Michelle Wu, who led the WBUR poll released yesterday, wasn't born and raised here.

It's going to be a rainy Friday, perfect for turning on the tube and catching the new Netflix documentary revisiting the famed Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum art heist. My colleague Dave Copeland — unlike me, he's old enough to remember the crime — penned a review of "This Is A Robbery." "While the series doesn't break any new ground, it collects most of the key pieces of the 31-year saga in one package and concludes with a convincing case of who most likely committed the heist," Copeland writes.

TGIF, am I right? The weekend is going to dry out after today's deluge, and the cleverly named BosTen has 10 things to do in and around the city. Us parents might be interested in the new dinosaur additions at Stone Zoo.

What I'm reading today: Ever read a story and find yourself asking, "Is this real life?" Here's your chance: The Globe's Meghan Irons has a you've-gotta-read-it-to-believe-it piece on former Boston mayoral candidate Tito Jackon reuniting birth mother, Rachel Twymon, who had Jackson at 13 after being raped. Their journey is incredible.

Weather

The National Weather Service says: Rain. High near 41. North wind 14 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New precipitation amounts between three quarters and one inch possible. At night — Rain likely, mainly before 4am. Cloudy, with a low around 37. North wind around 16 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.

Have a swell Friday.

You can email me at mike.carraggi@patch.com and follow me @PatchCarraggi.