Anyone from the region able to give me some pro tips?
Ie: How's the tech scene? What suburb should I live in? Things to do in and around Brussels, etc
The tech scene was actually pretty good, and I would highly recommend the FOSDEM conference. You should also check to see if the LinuxBierWanderung group is still around — they like Linux, drinking beer, and hiking, hence the name.
When I was there, I worked for Belgacom Skynet, but before they go re-absorbed into the parent telco. You may not have much options for getting internet access there, but I would encourage you to at least try anything but Belgacom.
Things to do around Brussels depends on what you’re interested in. If you like architecture, there is Hotel Horta (which is the Horta museum), and other houses designed by Victor Horta. He is a famous Belgian Art Nouveau architect. It is located in Ixelles, not far from where I used to live on Avenue Louis Lepoutre.
Of course, there’s always the Grande’Place, and Manniken Pis. The worlds second-largest cupola is found in the Basilica de Sacre Coeur, and there are a number of truly beautiful churches there. They also have movie houses, the opera, etc..., but most of the really old and beautiful stuff is outside of Brussels in Ghent, Liège, Bruges, etc....
Don’t forget Castle Boullion, which dates back to Godfroid of Boullion, who was the leader of the first Crusade around 1000AD. It is close to Abbaye d’Orval, where they make the famous Trappiste Orval beer.
That’s my first pass, off the top of my head.
Speaking of touristy, there is also the Atomium, and Mini Europe (especially cool for younger kids).
In addition to the history of the classic Roman bath houses, it is also the headquarters of the F1 racing championship.
Living areas in and around Brussels are hit and miss sometimes, it can be quite hard to find decent priced places. A lot of expats I know choose to move out of Brussels to nearby towns, Leuven or Mechelen are examples, about a 20 to 30 minute train ride to/from Brussels (North station). The public transport works but always calculate time for delays, they are more common than bread unfortunately. Finding a decent area to live in Brussels requires a lot of research, some areas, like Elsene, are great to live in but some parts of that area are also to be avoided.
As for tech scenes, there's plenty, the Meetup app might be helpful for that.
There's so much I could tell you, as I myself live in Belgium and have been working in the IT scene for over 17 years, most of that in Brussels, so if you have questions or want to have a talk once you're here you can reach out to me via my profile.
Welcome to Belgium!