A little late, but agree on the basic DC/NYC take. I'd rather live in DC, but I'd rather visit NYC. The first time I went there it was a little mind-blowing even after living in DC for a year or so.
That said, I will not stand idly by and let people slander DC night life. If you can't have a good time at night in DC, it's probably because you're afraid to leave Georgetown or 7th street and risk encountering a minority in the wild.
In Adams Morgan do tourists run in to B and C list guests on the cable Sunday shows?
You're more likely to see them in Georgetown/M street during the week for lunch (once saw Rahm Emmanuel at the turkish panini place; he was wearing a dark brown suit and totally pulling it off
) or around the U street corridor at night (increasingly trendy for rich white folks and (added bonus) the burgeoning epicenter of the new gentrification debate). Capitol Grille is a great spot for this, too.
Adams Morgan used to be super alternative. Still looks that way, but is now full of lawyers and lobbyists and such (still a little too seedy for the cable show crowd, though). On the plus side, probably one of the greatest 5-block concentrations of ethnic restaurants in the country. Used to do a global app crawl there a couple times a year with a group of friends.