I'm a student at George Washington and I have definitely enjoyed DC. Our campus has the best location in the city, if you ask me. Right next to Georgetown, the National Mall, and a 10 minutes ride from Chinatown. It doesn't have quite the hustle and bustle of NYC, but that means there is a whole lot less traffic. Not as much of a city to explore, but still tons to see and do. It also stays considerably warmer in the winter. Public transportation is pretty amazing, as far as ease-of-use and cleanliness. Plus there are some sweet on-campus biking jobs. 8)

Oh, and the International Relations program is kick ass (I'm in it)... Political Science is great too, from what I hear.