Your guide to goods and services in a new gilded age.
Washington thinks of itself as a city of power rather than wealth, where folks spend trillions in taxpayer money, then drive home in sensible mid-market cars. In recent decades, that vibe has been harder to maintain. Yet the glittery new Washington remains a place still not quite used to over-the-top displays of deep pockets. But that doesn’t mean they don’t happen. Look closely and you’ll find that Washington hosts a whole economy of splendor—including a few things the rest of us might even get to try on a splurge (strictly in the name of anthropology, of course). Here’s a sampling.