[gibsjose]

You certainly have a point, and I definitely was generalizing.

My social circles consist mostly of international folks who work in various agencies and laboratories, and a few who work in private industry.

My biggest fault with DC (and most of the east coast to be honest) is just the difficulty of starting a conversation with someone. It seems like a lot of people walk around with their heads down here (either glued to a phone or the pavement) so as to avoid making eye contact. Folks here also give me strange looks when I say "sorry" all the time.

But hey, different cultures and different strokes. Not saying one is objectively better, but I definitely know which one I prefer personally.