> and as much as I rag on it for being plebe as far as food/culture goes Culture, maybe. Food though? DC's food scene is very surprisingly strong, particular

> and as much as I rag on it for being plebe as far as food/culture goes Culture, maybe. Food though? DC's food scene is very surprisingly strong, particularly in new-immigrant ethnic cuisine. For some cuisines (notably Ethiopian) it's the best in the country. And of course, it's long been ground zero for the gourmet hamburger craze. > The biggest weakness, in my experience working at a D.C.-area startup, is that it's hard to get the hot-shot 22 year olds when you need them. Virginia Tech and U MD are good, but I think the nearest really good CS programs might be CMU in Pittsburgh and maybe GT in Atlanta. Either are quite a hike. That is an astonishingly high bar. CMU is regarded by many to be the best CS program in the world. Maryland's CS program is extremely strong: it usually hovers in the low teens nationwide. You forgot GMU and UMBC, both quite strong programs (I can personally vouch for GMU).