Muhlenberg College is a small, highly selective liberal arts college in southeast Pennsylvania. It’s beautiful setting, excellent facilities, and interdisciplinary vitality make it a congenial place for scholars to think and work together.

Travel to Allentown

By Air
Lehigh Valley International Airport (ABE) is directly in Allentown (20 minutes from the Comfort Suites) and is serviced by United, Northwest, USAir, Delta, Continental, Air Canada, and Southeast airlines. While the cost of flying to Allentown is usually close to the nearby cities, occasionally it can be less expensive to fly to Newark International, which is 70 miles due east of Allentown. (This may be particularly true for international travelers.) Should you fly to Newark I would strongly recommend that you rent a car (rather than take the bus) for the trip to Allentown, since mass transportation, both to and in Allentown, is extremely irregular and inconvenient.

By Car
Allentown is located in the Lehigh Valley: 40 minutes due north of Philadelphia and 90 miles due west of downtown Manhatten. It is easily reached from points north or south via the Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike (Route 476), or by Route 78 from points east or west. For complete driving details, please go to Muhlenberg College's website for directions: http://www.muhlenberg.edu/ , then click the link “About ‘Berg,” and then the link “Directions.” The “About ‘Berg” page also has links to a map of the campus as well as information about restaurants and local attractions.

Lodging

The conference hotel is the Allentown Comfort Suites, 3712 Hamilton Blvd., Allentown, PA, 18103. The phone number is 610-437-9100. When calling for reservations, ask for the special conference rate of $72/night (single or double), with the group name “Merleau-Ponty Conference.” The Comfort Suites also supplies free transportation to and from Lehigh Valley International Airport (ABE), but you must make arrangements with them at least 24 hours in advance. Continental breakfast is included in this rate and is available starting at 6:30 each day.

Please note that you must make a reservation by September 15 in order to receive the special conference rate; after that, if rooms remain available, the cost will be considerably higher.

Local Transportation

The Conference will be held on the Muhlenberg College campus in the west end of Allentown. Muhlenberg is located less than 10 minutes by car from the Comfort Suites at 2400 Chew Street, Allentown, PA, 18104. (However, the hills and lack of sidewalks make it not well-suited for walking between the two.) Shuttle service between the Comfort Suites and Muhlenberg will be provided at the beginning and end of each day. However, if you are keenly interested in getting out and about – sampling the range of Allentown's quite excellent restaurants – you might consider renting a car for the weekend. Car rentals at Lehigh Valley International Airport can be made through National, Hertz, Alamo, Avis, and Budget.

For all questions contact the Conference Director at: Lhass@muhlenberg.edu