In real life they are just the most dismal places
Is this true? Obviously the consulate end is fucking terrible. I always imagined the place where the ambassador, diplomats and intelligence agents hung out were posh as shit.
I remember when I got lost in the embassy district in London, it was surreal, we were hungry but there were no fast food places around, only fancy restaurants that we couldn't afford. We went to a supermarket there and everyone, EVERYONE, was wearing a suit. We saw at least two police escorted motorcades. Shit was wild.
Embassies and consulates have nice areas for the VIPs and DMV areas for the rest of us. Much in the same way that Presidents and Ambassadors don't wait in the same waiting rooms or queue in the same customs lines as us when they visit.
My generic conception of how embassies look is the one from the Bourne Identity