I'm actually really looking forward to having a traditional fireplace in the home we're trying to move into. DC tends to get a good variation in temperature throughout the year, so while this summer had several weeks in the low 100's, the winter will regularly go below freezing for long stretches. Certainly, we don't get weather as hot as Arizona or as cold as Alaska, but it's a decent swing.

So while we won't have fireplace weather for a good 7-9 months of the year, we'll certainly have nights that could call for it.

Besides, aesthetically speaking, I'm personally very much in favor of a natural fire over a gas fireplace. Gas is a great convenience, but I'm sorry, nothing beats the crackle of a real fire. I love building it, lighting it, and keeping it stoked. Plus, my family has a nice Christmas tradition. Every year when we take down the Christmas tree (always a real tree), we cut off all the branches and put those out for the trash. The trunk, however, is kept in the garage all year long, and next Christmas Eve it gets chopped up and burned as that year's Yule log.

So yeah, I love a real fireplace. That said, my TV is going on the long blank wall perpendicular to it