crickets

I'm going. I haven't been to a national convention in 6 years, but I'm giving it a go this year.

Yes. That.

St. Louis, on the other hand, is a great city! Fantastic restaurants, excellent bars and culture, Horst Buchholz, etc...

I think we should try to get a large CMAA presence at the 2014 convention. Forget about renting a table from NPM. Let's just stand around in the common areas and hand out flyers advertising the Association.

You don't like DC? In the summer? /purple

Some of you may not wish to set foot in D.C. I will not question your reasons or motives for expressing that fact.

But after my father was transferred by the U.S. Forest Service to D.C. to work for some 18 months in 1957-58 and the rest of my family moved there for the academic year where I was a senior in and was graduated from high school in Alexandria, VA, I found that Washington, D.C. was an enlightened place and an enlightening experience on many levels. It opened my eyes to the possibilities that lay ahead of me, and I fell in love with the city. I spent many hours in the Library of Congress reading and studying all sorts of things, including music and working on a senior research paper on British Astronomy before the 20th century. While there, I also reconnected with Leland B. Sataren when he brought his college choir on tour to D.C. (I had gotten to know him when I had sung Handel's "Honor and arms" and won first place in the vocal division at a regional h.s. music competition that he had adjudicated, which led to recruitment efforts on his part).

After leaving D.C. and moving to Milwaukee, the experiences of my 9 months in the D.C. area were of great comfort and aid in my undergraduate studies at the University of Wisconsin, 1958-61 B.A. in mathematics). In the first year of my graduate studies at Princeton, 1961-64 (Ph.D. in mathematics), my father was transferred back to D.C., staying there until after his retirement near the end of the Nixon administration. With me in graduate school, then at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, and finally on the faculty at U.Va., I made many trips back to D.C. and always felt that it was, somehow, "my city" which I loved. even long after my parents had retired and moved back to the Midwest (to Indianapolis, where my sister lived with her family).

As the seat of our Federal Government, Washington commands my respect and engenders my patriotism. As the home or location of numerous arts, educational, religious, culinary, scientific, cultural, military and industrial organizations, institutions and businesses, it fills me with awe and love, as well as the consternation at the problems of any major metropolis. Whatever others may think in terms of liking or disliking it, Washington, D.C. is one of the great cities of the world, splendidly laid out with sweeping federal architecture and design, monuments to great American presidents, as well as to fallen heroes in battle.

And I won't even attempt to describe the rich Catholic presence (Roman and otherwise) in and about the city. I would be happy and proud to set foot in D.C. once again.

DC has some wonderful cultural opportunities...but the traffic is horrific. I would most likely NOT try and go there in the summer. February is really the best time to visit DC.

Noel...dress Amish...LOVE IT!!!

Why did I just get this mental image?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOfZLb33uCg

DC has some wonderful cultural opportunities...but the traffic is horrific.

Seriously, who drives in DC? I had a car there in graduate school and I had to go start it and run it every couple of weeks because I never touched the thing.

OK, well if you followed the pipe organ thread, you noticed that I said that I went to visit the organ before we committed to it. That was my first trip to DC in years, and this will be my second in one year.

I liked it. I didn't find the traffic that bad; in fact, I stopped to see the white house (just felt like something one should see if you happen to be in the city) and I parked right around the corner, on the street for free, in front of an unmarked secret service car with two uniformed agents inside, also street parked. So I walked the block or two, feeling that my car and belongings were very secure, saw the white house, then came back to start off for home.

I enjoyed my day there; we'll see how spending a week there is, but I'm thinking it'll be fun. And we get mass at the national shrine basilica with Cardinal Wuerl, so that's a plus.

I didn't find the traffic that bad

Yes, I'd say the traffic on the highways and suburbs outside the city seems to me to be worse than the traffic in the city.

I am currently living in the DC area; not my favorite place to live, but it isn't bad, either. Andrew, I am in graduate school right now, and have a car, and use it, although I prefer other means of transportation when possible. Traffic tends to be pretty bad during rush hours, but better in the middle of the day or late evenings. That said, I will be at the NPM conference and would enjoy meeting others if you will be there!

Just for comparison:

St. Louis average weather

Jun 85 Hi / 67 Lo : 4.34 in
Jul 89 Hi / 71 Lo : 4.19 in
Aug 88 Hi / 70 Lo : 3.42 in

Washington average weather

Jun 84 Hi / 66 Lo : 3.78 in
Jul 89 Hi / 71 Lo : 3.73 in
Aug 87 Hi / 70 Lo : 2.93 in

This seems to confirm my childhood and young adult memories that St. Louis was just about as hot and humid in the summer, if not a little more so, than Washington, D.C.

In 1957-58, at least, there was a 90-90 policy in effect for federal offices: if the temperature and humidity were both 90 or above, workers were sent home. I remember my parents being sent home on several occasions.

St. Louis, on the other hand, is a great city! Fantastic restaurants, excellent bars and culture, Horst Buchholz, etc...

...And soon to be my new home!

Hey Doug, long time! Keep your collar loose and your beer tab open.

A big theme is celebrating 50 years of Sacrosanctum Concilium.

That, Doug, still doesn't mitigate my advice, particularly on the temp of your brews in sultry DC!

Assuming I go to NPM 2014, I'll host a tea for CMAA members. :)