Georgetown University is a private Jesuit research university in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C., United States. Founded by Bishop John Carroll in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic institution of higher education in the United States and the nation's first federally chartered university.

Towson University (TU or Towson) is a public university in Towson, Maryland. Founded in 1866 as Maryland's first training school for teachers, Towson University is a part of the University System of Maryland. Since its founding, the university has evolved into eight subsidiary colleges with over 20,000 students. Its 329-acre campus is situated in Baltimore County, Maryland eight miles north of downtown Baltimore. Towson is one of the largest public universities in Maryland and still produces the most teachers of any university in the state.

The University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) is a public university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1807, it comprises some of the oldest professional schools of dentistry, law, medicine, pharmacy, social work and nursing in the United States. It is the original campus of the University System of Maryland and has a strategic partnership with the University of Maryland, College Park.

The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of Maryland. The University of Maryland's proximity to Washington, D.C., has resulted in many research partnerships with the federal government; faculty receive research funding and institutional support from many agencies, such as the National Institutes of Health, NASA, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the Food and Drug Administration, the National Security Agency, and the Department of Homeland Security.

Johns Hopkins University (often abbreviated as Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins was the first American university based on the European research institution model. While its primary campus is in Baltimore, Johns Hopkins also maintains ten divisions on campuses in other Maryland locations, including Laurel, Rockville, Columbia, Aberdeen, California, Elkridge, and Owings Mills.

Kay's Diner is nestled right off of Route 1, a few minutes off the 495/I-95 Capital Beltway Innerloop, and just south of the main University of Maryland College campus. Kay's has been a staple of the College Park area for over forty years. The diner has seen its ups and downs over the last four decades but still somehow manages to survive. A haven for the late night college crowd and other drunken reprobates the establishment sees most of its activity in the evening and in the afterhours into sunrise. The diner is owned and operated by Kay Brickman. Kay and her husband, recently deceased, Jason Brickman, purchased the diner shortly after it had been built in the 1970s. The diner given its location and nature sees a lot of turnover of waitstaff and line cooks. Outside of Kay, the only long term mainstay over the years that most locals recognize is Reggie. Reggie has worked for the diner for at least the last fifteen years. Generally serving as the late night shift cook most nights.