the coolest thing about dc isn't the free museums. or the monuments. or the impeccably cut grass around downtown. or the clean metro. or the interns both in and out of the oval office. or the motorcades carrying important dignitaries (although those are a close second).

the coolest thing about dc might be that it might be the only true cross-regional city that twenty-somethings flock to after college.

(new york is a close second, but i think dc wins on this one).

my proposal, albeit with the help of a few accessory collaborators, is that every region in the u.s. has a big city that many bright-eyed and eager graduates move to upon entering the "real world," hoping to find fame, fortune and/or a fuc... fiancé.

the west has los angeles. the midwest has chicago. the south has dallas. the southeast has hotlanta. the northeast has new york city.

but the amazing thing about dc is that graduates from everywhere find their way here ... only to work for very little money and pay (or have their parents pay) for over-inflated apartments. but hey, who doesn't love a city where the biggest monument is a large phallic symbol?

after taking a practice gmat last night, i met up with a handful of recent graduates who all just recently began their dc journeys. upon discussing my "dc-as-a-cross-regional-city" concept, we went around the table and realized that all 11 of us were from completely different u.s. cities. it was a proud moment for my theory ... and an even better advertisement for wash u since we were all recent alumni. because if they are going to graduate 11 not-so-diverse-white-jewish kids who meet up in dc, at the very least, they can all be from different states, right?

dc has politics. dc has nonprofits. dc has big corporations. dc has lots of sex scandals and twenty-somethings willing to do anything to get ahead. although the latter two are not mutually exclusive.

dc also has attitude. whereas my license plate has two dinky oranges and promotes "the sunshine state," dc license plates say "taxation without representation" -- a serious protest by residents who feel slighted by the lack of full representation in the u.s. congress. see what happens when you piss of the dmv?

dc not only attracts twenty-somethings from around the country, but it also produces some of the top news makers. george who?

the wonkette, the washingtonienne, the bush twins, monica lewinsky. all fine young ladies just trying to get a piece ... of the dc fame, that is.

...i want a piece too. who does a girl have to sleep with around here to get a book published?