Mr. Huang Goes to Washington

Earlier this week, I did my first of three trips to Washington DC in a six-week span. This first one was to make a client presentation; the second will be to attend a conference, pitch a study idea to a potential client, and catch up with some grad school colleagues of mine; and the third will be to meet with a potential study partner as well as to catch a Nationals game with a friend.

I'm a big fan of DC, and one of the nice things about Philly is being able to get to DC so easily. Amtrak affords plenty of trains to get you there and back, and great transit systems in both cities means no cars needed on either side.

But the convenience extends beyond the mode of travel; it also includes the fact that the trip isn't very long. Earlier this week, I was able to take Jada to school in the morning before I headed to the train station, and still make it back home for dinner with the family. The next time I go, I'll set the kids up for breakfast but then have to bug out to catch an early train, but on the way home I'll be able to pick up Aaron from school. And the third time I go, I just have to adjust Aaron's school schedule so that I can drop him off later and pick him up later.

The consultant's life is stereotypically challenging to juggle a family with. And, if our firm grows geographically, there may yet be more difficult trips to manage. But for now, it's nice to be able to have work in big cities like DC (and New York and Baltimore and Harrisburg and Trenton) and still be able to see my kids in the morning and the evening. Yet another advantage of being in Philly.