D.C. The nation's capital is home to some of the most hardworking folks on earth. Sure, there are multi-national companies such as Mobil, MCI and Marriott that call the Washington area home. But when it comes to topics of conversation and means of measuring status, it comes down to how close you are to the White House or the reach of your audience as a journalist.
Political gossip drives the city.
Who's in power affects real estate prices, how you dress for dinner parties and what you serve at those dinner parties. Because Washington doesn't make anything except laws, there's no heavy industry to speak of. But in spite of all the lawyers, Washington is an eminently livable place. The architecture is stunning and the traffic isn't bad, at least by big-city standards. Spring and fall are beautiful and the summers and winters aren't as bad as the locals like to think.