Washington D.C. is one of those enigmas of a capital city if there ever was one. Being a district that is not affiliated with any State, D.C. is an odd mixture of cosmopolitan nightlife and massive Federal institutions.

Strangely enough for the seat of the world's richest government, citizens just don't have the same representation in congress as everyone else in the country. In fact, as of 2000, the phrase "Taxation Without Representation" was added to their license plates in protest of their ill treatment.

To further plague the city, most of the highest-value property is government owned and exempt from property taxes. There hasn't been as much money for infrastructure projects here as elsewhere in the States for this very reason. To further increase ill sentiments, every citizen is taxed like everyone else in the States but do not have a voting member of congress to represent them!

To shake things up even more, the entire city was designed in quadrants so all of the street names and postal addresses must be properly signed with the right quandrant of the city.

Despite these problems, D.C. is still home to a number of important cultural institutions and a vibrant night life.