Is DC also the "recession proof" capital of US?

I am in utter awe of our nation's capital, Washington, DC. This is a city that boggles the mind. Once a sleepy southern backwaater, a place JFK once referred to as a city with southern efficency and northern charm (at a time when that was a real insult). Today this city literally exploded on the international scene, an engeritc, fast paced urban complex that is not only the seat of government, but the place where those in power who can get something out of that government congregate. With a national government that can tax the Americn people almost at will, DC is never exposed to the normal ups and downs of the market that affect other cities. In a sense, the city is recession proof. What makes Washington "different". I've been trying to nail that one down and, perhaps with your help, I will. First of all, a couple of disclaimers: New York, LA, and (to a degree) Miami are more reflected of the oppulent life style than is DC. Nexg, no city represnets the over-the-top, money on top ofmoney environment as Las Vegas and its strip. And finally, I'd be rmiss to not mention, the vast areas of oertyin DC. YET WHERE WASHINGTON IS AFFLUENCT....DOWNTOWN, ON BOTH SIDESOF HE MALL, IN GEORETOWN, ETC., the city gives off its own special and unique brand of "there's more than power int hese houses of comerce. And perhaps that it what it's about: no US city has the most opulence and modernity as Wasington's. No city gleams block after block in its core the way that DC does. One does truly get the idea that inside the beltway, life is different...and our money from all 50 of our states, flows in a way that unique in the nation. I'm looking forward to how anyone else sees this issue.>