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Visiting DC

My wife and I will take a trip next week to DC to celebrate our 35th wedding anniversary (which will occur in October when I am busy with my classes).

I went to DC with my marching band once in high school to play for the president at some event that I have long-since forgotten. Not surprisingly the president was called away to deal the Shah of Iran coming to the US for exile but we played anyway. I do remember visiting the Air and Space museum but the rest of the trip is lost in a hazy memory.

I've been to DC a handful of times since then professionally. Five times I've gone for conferences, once for a training workshop for new mathematics department chairs, and once as webmaster for the Mathematical Association of America's Southeastern Section for a focus group on the MAA's website. I've enjoyed visiting the Asian Art collection of the Smithsonian and returned there each time. One time I was at a conference at the same time my son was at a university student conference nearby and I was able to take him to a very fine restaurant just to impress him which was fun.

As a family I believe that I've been there once with my wife and twice with my wife and two children. The former was where I first saw the Reduced Shakespeare Company at the Kennedy Center. The second time was for a family wedding and so our time was mostly already taken. The third time we tried to focus more on memorials that would be accessible to young children. I was particularly impressed with the Lincoln Memorial, which seemed to be more about his ideas than any of the other memorials to historical figures.

I have familiarity therefore with what, about 10% of the city. It is hard to get to know a city from visits. The purpose of the visit inherently ties me to a very small fraction of the territory. Even when I lived for a year in New York City I got to know only a handful of villages in it very well. 

I have lived in Carrboro for 27 years now. I don't know it very well, maybe about 20% of it if I'm being generous. I have an hour commute so when I am at work I don't explore Carrboro. Even if I didn't how much more would I get to know? A total of 40%, maybe? 

Local politicians of course have to travel around their constituency to get votes. I wonder how much they can actually know about what they govern. I am particularly sensitive about politicians who claim to speak for their constituency, usually to advocate for their own advancement, and am drawn to leaders who seek to hear from their citizens. I have particular contempt for leaders who only connect with their constituency through streaming video and sound-bites.

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