The reason no one is giving a definitive answer is there isn't one. These are all opinions. If you want to serve as an Army Officer, then go to USMA. Do not go to a SA because one school is "better" than another. You go to become an officer in that service. The SAs all provide a unique experience and can vary for each Cadet/Midshipman. It depends on their class, the current environment of the world, the leadership at the school all the way down to Company/TAC Officers, instructors you encounter, and most importantly what each person puts into the effort. If you want to skate through, do the minimum and graduate... you probably can. If you want to challenge yourself, take the opportunity for what its worth and truly prepare to be an officer, then it will be harder, but in my opinion better experience.
These are my opinions only... from one person who graduated not yesterday, but not a million years ago. I served pre-9/11 and post 9/11. I am a female, former Marine Corps Officer who played basketball at USNA. I had two years of forward deployed time in the Middle East and a year in Okinawa. I am a civilian today and use my USNA and USMC lessons daily at work...
Food, who knows. I never ate USMA. I think USNA has stepped up their food from what I can see. I think some of the recent CVW folks said Navy was better. Don't think you will starve anywhere and seriously, no SA is going to win culinary awards, but it isn't that bad.
Academcially... I think they are all on par. West Point had alot more majors when I was at USNA. USNA has increased its majors since I graduated. I guess the key question is, does one have a major you want? The great part of Navy being close to major areas is their proximity to great universities like John Hopkins, GTown, GWU, etc. VGEP opportunities, seminars, etc are right at your door step. In my experience I think USAF and USN encourage education for their officers more than the Army and USMC. As numbers continue to drop in the services, promotions will tie to advanced degrees more and more. My friends who service selected Navy I think had a lot more post grad ops than we did in the USMC during our careers. That is just my opinion. The Army is a bigger service therefore their opportunities are larger and more diverse. That has pros and cons. All services and even each branch, communities, platform, etc have their own unique personalities and traditions. Its important to understand those because that is what is important when selecting a school, branch, service, platform, MOS, etc.
Lifestyle... this one is completely subjective. I would take USNA any day. Campus is closer to civilization. But West Point is close, yet so far away, from NYC. Navy is close to Washington DC and Baltimore. Navy seems to have more of a "personality". West Point seems more serious to me. AFA is known to be the most relaxed of all the SAs. Doesn't mean Navy doesn't take things seriously, its a pesonality thing. I think the "work hard, play mentality" fits well for Navy. I think USMA stresses physical fitness more than Navy. But, I do not think USNA PT standards are a joke in anyway. They are much harder than the Navy fleet standards. They are different than the USMC's.
Networking post military I think is on par at either school. I have lived in a large city in my post military life and one medium city. The large city had a huge alumni network that was very active. It was a ton of fun with a range of class years. We even created a program for our just graduated alumni who were released from the Navy to help with jobs, interviews, resumes, etc. We often did things with West Point Alumni Assoc and I got the feeling they had a similiar Assoc, except they rarely saw football victories at their viewing parties! Joking! When I moved, the first thing I did was email the local president. He immediately called me, sent me links to a real estate agent who was an alumni, and sent me a list of my classmates in the area. There are less events, but I know I could pick up the phone for anything and they would be there to support or help me find the needed support. Once again, you put the effort in to attend events, meet people, volunteer, you will have a better network, then just signing up. I think alot of Alumni groups tend to be more heavily older year groups, but I know USNA has really stressed trying to bring in younger members. I think that both groups I have been involved with have done a great job integrating all class years.
As far as the whole getting shot at thing... Not sure what you want to hear. Yes, Army and Marine Officers have a better shot at being forward deployed on the ground to hositle environments. This also varies greatly with Branch, MOS, assigned unit, etc. With the current wars and the length of them in two countries, the gaps are being filled by Navy and Air Force Officers on alot of staffs and other billets. I have seen plenty of Navy Supply, Intel, SWO, Subs, HR, etc be sent to forward billets. Yes, by the numbers the Army has had more forward deployed, but don't discount the efforts by the other services. The wars we have faced since 9/11 have not exactly matched anything in history. Just because ships and fighters/cargo/support aircraft haven't been facing SAMs or other threats, doesn't mean the next war won't. The Navy faces threats daily dealing with piracy, boarding parties, and just plain navigating waters (this is more dangerous than anyone thinks). The next war could have a huge air threat. You never know. So understanding the history is great, but be prepared for our next wars to have its own unique challenges. This is where thinking on your feet, thinking "outside the box", and learning as much as possible is important.
As the wars wind down and reset the force, the Navy will still be forward deployed as will the other Services. They Navy will still see 6 month deployments. The Army still has overseas missions such as Korea. The USMC will focus on returning to its Naval roots. The USMC with its MEUs will always be at the ready for things like Haiti and the Navy sent a great deal of support to the Hurricane efforts last year. The missions will range for all services from peacekeeping, humanitarian, to possible full scale war. But with wars ending, so are large budgets and forces. These will create new challenges.
Like we have all said, all these items are subjective. Just like when people on this forum say its important to visit each place if possible, its because all these items are so subjective and vary for each person. Don't just look at all the "cool" things, the intangibles like personality, traditions, and other nuances are critical to your happiness and success in whatever path you choose.