It's the first week of school, and the bad news is, it's only going to get worse. The library will oddly become a source of enjoyment and terror, study nights will turn into wretched all-encompassing study weekends, and that social life you thought you had will seem farther and farther away...
But there is one place that will always cheer up even the most lost souls, those Hopkins students who think there is no reprieve. One marvelous mecca that takes only a couple joy-filled hours out of your busy day, but provides infinite fun and heartwarming comfort. This place to beat all other places is the mall, and the Baltimore area provides a variety of malls to suit everyone's need for release.
The most convenient shopping getaway for Hopkins students is the trip to Towson Town Centre, located in the middle of the posh Baltimore suburb of Towson. Expanding to four floors, this mall provides not only the top of the line stores such as Nordstrom and Banana Republic, but also includes the more affordable venues, like Payless and Wet Seal. With enough space to house a small colony, it'd be hard to find a store that this mall doesn't include. (Okay, well, there is one: J. Crew. But Baltimore makes up for that slipup at The Gallery. We'll get to that shoppers paradise later).
The best thing about Towson Town Centre is that it's one of the stops on the Collegetown shuttle, which picks up and drops off at Hopkins multiple times a day. As long as you have the shuttle times down, this mall is only a pleasant, FREE, 20-minute bus ride away. With additional restaurants, shopping and movie theatres in the area, Towson is tough to beat...unless you have a car.
Make friends with someone who has a car. Save up for three weeks and split cab fare with four of your friends. No matter how you swing it, Arundel Mills Mall is a necessary destination for any Hopkins student who wants to get away from campus and shop till they drop without zeroing out their checking account. Arundel Mills is a discount mall that offers designer clothes at reasonable prices. With a Gap outlet, Armani Exchange outlet and a new H & M, it's impossible to go home empty handed.
The mall also offers numerous tasty restaurants, a food court complete with Chili's Too and a large Egyptian Muvico 24 movie theatre. The day trip and travel time is worth it. Its only downfall is location -- situated close to BWI Airport, south of Baltimore. The highway is the only way to get there.
A less expensive but perhaps more worthwhile cab ride will get you to the heart of Baltimore's Inner Harbor, where you can shop with Baltimoreans and tourists alike at the gorgeous Gallery shopping mall. The stores are top of the line, and the architecture provides a beautiful atmosphere to shop in, if you're willing to pay the money. Elaborately decorated with archways and ornamental plants, the indoor mall makes swiping your credit card in expensive stores a little bit easier.
Not a fan of big spending? Walk across the ramp to the pavilions in the Inner Harbor and spend the day paddling in the water and reading leisurely at Barnes and Noble. Either way, The Gallery is sure to bring smiles, and even a day spent window-shopping is better than studying, isn't it?
Last, and actually least, is the mall in White Marsh, also about a half-hour drive from campus. With cramped quarters, a crappy interior and disappointing displays for familiar stores, it's better to enjoy the scenery outside the mall rather than in it. With an Old Navy, Barnes and Noble, yummy restaurants and plenty of college kids milling around, the surrounding outdoor centers provide all the relaxation you need.
And if you make it out to White Marsh, be sure not to miss Ikea. Deserving its own zip code, Ikea is truly beyond words. The Ikea "campus" includes a restaurant, espresso bar, and plenty of futons and beds to jump around on. If that doesn't impress you, wait until you see the escalator built specifically for shopping carts. It doesn't get any better than that. If you can walk out without a single thing for your apartment or dorm room, it will be the start of the end of the world.
No matter how you decide to release during the year, hitting the local malls at least once is vital to a complete college education. Whether you come back completely broke or manage to get away without a single purchase, your brain will thank you for the brief but well-earned break.
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