Experiences at University of Washington Information School

1. Red Square. Great place to me up with friends, access to the libaries, watch skaters do tricks.
2. The Ave. Plenty of restaurants, shops, bars, cafes, etc
3. Drumheller Fountain. Do not go in there.
4. The Quad. Extra-pretty in the spring.
5. UW CSE building. You'll probably be working pretty close with these folks....

I miss the free-flow of ideas and information, without NDAs or trade secrets. You could just walk into a Professor's office and ask them what they're working on. They'll tell you, with no caveats or disclaimers. And if it's something interesting, you can offer to help out!

We have two huge computer labs, with machines that are constantly being upgraded to the latest specs:

http://www.ischool.washington.edu/technology/labs