Being a Hopkins student means long hours of studying, endless assignments and plenty of research, but it doesn’t mean fun has to take a back seat. By junior year, I promised myself that I’d prioritize experiences outside of academics. So, after wrangling my friends’ schedules (yes, it took three weeks of notice to get everyone free on the same night), we carved out a Friday evening to hit pause on the grind and see what Baltimore had in store.
The Food Stop: The Rotunda
Our night began with the Blue Jay Night Ride shuttle. In true Hopkins fashion, it got canceled, so we found ourselves in a Lyft and headed to The Rotunda, a cozy food-and-entertainment hub just off campus.
Choosing where to eat was harder than expected. The options felt like a mini world tour. Mi & Yu Noodle Bar promised creative ramen, udon, pho and bao buns. 18-8 Sushi offered fresh rolls and sizzling grilled bites. Moby Dick House of Kabob delivered Persian-inspired dishes packed with tradition. And then there was The Local Fry, with global flavors tucked into wings, loaded fries, rice bowls and sandwiches.
We went with The Local Fry. I ordered the Asada Fries with Chicken, and they were everything I hoped for: golden fries layered with pico de gallo, creamy avocado, cool crema, fresh cilantro, tangy cotija cheese and a hint of lime. The crispy chicken on top sealed the deal, adding the perfect crunch to all that comfort.
Dessert was just around the corner at Rita’s, where I ordered a Cookies N’ Cream Oreo Concrete. Thick, rich custard blended with Oreo chunks — it was decadent spoonful after spoonful. We passed on Cinnaholic’s cinnamon rolls this time, but trust me, they’re still on my list for the next night out.
The Movie Detour
Our plan was to see Weapons at Warehouse Cinemas, conveniently located in The Rotunda. But, in a twist worthy of a horror movie itself, the film had stopped showing the day before.
After a moment of chaos, we pivoted. Another Lyft later, we were settled into seats at Towson’s Cinemark, ready for our feature presentation.
Weapons: A Night of Mystery & Dread
Weapons isn’t your typical horror flick. It’s less about jump scares and more about atmosphere, tension and lingering dread.
The movie opens with an impossible event: 17 children from the same elementary class vanish at exactly 2:17 a.m., leaving behind only one student, Alex Lilly. Their teacher, Justine Gandy (played by Julia Garner), shows up the next morning to find an empty classroom. From there, the story spirals into a mix of grief, suspicion and unease.
What really stood out to me were the details. The film is divided into chapters, each told from different perspectives, which makes the mystery unfold in fragments. The pacing is deliberate, slow enough that you start second-guessing everything you see. And the characters — desperate, guilt-ridden and grief-stricken — make choices that blur the line between innocence and complicity.
Thematically, scapegoating runs deep. The terrified community latches onto Justine, projecting their anger and fear onto her as they hunt for someone to blame. That tension between not knowing and needing answers made the whole film feel unsettlingly real.
By the end, not every mystery is explained. Some threads remain ambiguous, leaving you walking out of the theater with the unsettling question: “Wait, what really happened?”
The Takeaway
My Friday night ended with exactly what I needed: good food, good friends and a movie that stayed with me long after the credits rolled.
Life at Hopkins can easily become all-consuming, but Baltimore has too much to offer to ignore. Sometimes the best study break isn’t coffee and flashcards — it’s loaded fries, a late-night cinema run and memories that remind you there’s a whole world waiting outside of campus.
