Shop 'til your plastic melts in Towson

The first couple of weeks back at Hopkins, you probably can't think further than just wishing yourself back at the beach. It won't be long, though, before you're back in a routine of classes and coffee and will have made your rounds to all the local venues. By then, you'll be ready to check out the great beyond.

Towson (pronounced "tau-son") is one great place worth checking out. Only 20 minutes north, this up-and-coming hub of shopping, movie theaters and restaurants is a main stop on the Goucher College/Colltown shuttle that stops every hour behind the Mattin Center.

Towson is home to Towson University and Goucher College and kindly acts as an adoptive college town for Hopkins and our neighbors at Loyola and Notre Dame Colleges, too. It's a county business district for locals, but has much more to offer students.

The main stretch in Towson is short, but sweet, running about a block or two down York Rd. It's lined by little vintage stores, a tanning salon and some great Chinese and sushi restaurants. A relatively new Barnes & Noble bookstore recently joined the big shots on the street, which include the Towson Town Center - arguably the best shopping around, Borders Books and Music store and the Towson Commons movie theater. There's a new Trader Joe's, too, for awesome chocolate-covered espresso beans that come cheaper and in larger quantities than at Caf Q.

What you'll hear people raving about most is Towson Town Center. With over 200 retail shops sandwiched between huge Hecht's and Nordstrom department stores, it's a Hopkins student's shopping Mecca. All the standards are there, from Abercrombie to Banana Republic to Crate and Barrel to Spencer's Gifts, although you won't find any designer Kenneth Cole boutiques or full-service Pottery Barns.

For college budgets, you'll find constant bargains at Hecht's "one day sales." Nordstrom Rack is a treasure trove for great buys on off-season designer clothes and discontinued items.

The mall has a huge food court that has saved more than one Hopkins student from dining hall depression. Here, you can treat yourself to a diversion that won't empty your wallet. There's Chick-fil-A, Gloria Jeans coffee, salads, grilled foods, pizza, Chinese and Dairy Queen. It's almost worth a visit just for that.

Besides the mall, there are also superstores like Linens-N-Things just a couple blocks away.

Towson is home to the nearest movie theater, too; Towson Commons offers $5 tickets any time with a student ID. In a city where the average non-matinee movie costs $8.50, the Commons certainly knows how to win a college student's heart.

For eats, our own Charles Village almost beats Towson in the bar scene. But Towson does offer a ton of restaurants. The mall has T.G.I. Fridays, Rainforest Cafe and a Silver Diner open 'til 3 a.m. Along York Rd. "Main Street," you'll find Ruby Tuesday's and the hottest (though pricey) fondue place around - the Melting Pot. Get your parents to take you. On the way to Towson, Bill Bateman's Bistro offers some of the best wings in Baltimore, and further up York Rd., the Towson Diner is open 24 hours. Everything is within walking distance.

Although Towson can't offer you big-city thrills or Central Park-like hang-outs, it's a great small town to have around. Grab some friends, pick an afternoon, and head over sometime. On the shuttle ride up, you'll even get to see where the other colleges are around here. After one visit to Towson, you'll be eager for seconds.