The Thinking Trans // Trans Thinking Conference will take place in-person and virtually at Lafayette College in Easton, PA on Thursday, March 27th and Friday, March 28th, 2025.
This page will be updated with additional information, such as the official schedule of presentations, as they are finalized in January and February 2025. You are welcome to contact the conference organizer (see below) if you are an accepted presenter and have questions about when you are scheduled.
Registration:
While there is no registration fee, we may need to accept a limited number of non-presenter in-person attendee registrations so we can accommodate presenters with breakfast and lunch. You can register here to receive a Zoom link for the conference in March or in-person attendance instructions: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdGUKTTVLlyJ0wZMGLoMU55BvIN9vMwWXvRgtIyPkbbT58hcQ/viewform?usp=sharing
Food and restaurants:
As of now, we are planning to cover light breakfast and lunch, with dinner on your own. The Lehigh Valley is full of restaurants located at convenient locations and different price ranges near Lafayette College, downtown Easton, and elsewhere. For coffee, Mojo 516 Cafe is near Lafayette College while Three Birds downtown is frequently rated as one of the best coffee shops in the region. Closer to Lafayette College there are gyro, sushi / poke, and pub offerings, while downtown Easton has many options. There are larger food court style areas such as Easton Public Market if you would like to have several different options in the same building, or quicker and cheaper options such as Wawa if you would like to grab a sandwich or coffee. The region is perhaps best known for its hoagies (cylindrical sandwiches, sometimes referred to as grinders, heroes, or subs in other regions of the US). The conference organizer’s favorite place to eat in the Lehigh Valley is Sizzling Bites in downtown south Bethlehem, which would require a drive.
Flight information:
For flights, the easiest options are likely Lehigh Valley International Airport (ABE) or Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR). Newark is farther away but can end up as the cheaper option since they have more flights available. Counterintuitively, I do not recommend the Philadelphia airport in most cases since transportation options between Philly and the Lehigh Valley are annoyingly limited. I would only go with Philly airport if you were planning to rent a car and wanted to see more of that city specifically. Sometimes Philly airport offers a bus from Philadelphia to Lehigh Valley International Airport for certain flights.
Lehigh Valley International Airport: https://www.flyabe.com/
Newark Liberty International Airport: https://www.newarkairport.com/
Trans-Bridge Lines:
Trans-Bridge Lines provides bus transportation from New York City to Easton; Newark Liberty International Airport to Easton; and Lehigh Valley International Airport to Easton. They may be your best option for traveling to Easton from airports: https://transbridgelines.com/
Easton lodging options:
The Grand Eastonian Suites Hotel (using the discount code in the listing just below) is likely your best option between price and proximity to Lafayette College. However, there are additional hotels in the area if you are driving or do not mind traveling by cab or bus:
Bethlehem Lodging Options:
These options are mainly for if you have a car and are interested in checking out Bethlehem during your visit to the area (features one UNESCO World Heritage Site and the SteelStacks):
Parking on campus:
The Markle Parking Deck on campus (located behind Markle Hall, which has some of the nicest gender neutral bathrooms when open) usually has visitor parking spaces available on the top deck. This can also be a convenient location to be dropped off if taking a cab. Most map apps recognize Markle Parking Deck, but just in case the address is 2 North Campus Lane, Easton, PA 18042.
Information about the area:
The main tourist attractions in the area include the Crayola Experience or Easton Farmers’ Market in Easton and SteelStacks in Bethlehem. The Pocono Mountains are a drive to the north if you have time for hiking and downtown New York City is a Trans-Bridge ride away. It is possible to walk to New Jersey from downtown Easton if you still need to cross it off the list of US states you have visited. For more information: https://www.discoverlehighvalley.com/
LANTA bus routes:
The region has a public transportation system. Please keep in mind that it can get very backed up and run behind schedule during busy traffic, especially if traveling between Lehigh Valley cities (ex. Easton to Allentown): https://lantabus.com/routes-and-schedules/
Lafayette College Shuttle:
The LCAT shuttle can provide assistance with getting to the Lafayette College main campus from the art campus below, according to their operation schedule. You can find their schedule and a shuttle tracker here: Lafayette College Area Transportation
Contact for more information:
Organizer: Amy Marvin (Louise M. Olmsted Fellow in Ethics at Lafayette College), marvina@lafayette.edu
Sponsorship:
This event is sponsored by the Louise M. Olmsted Fund for Ethics and the Philosophy Dept. at Lafayette College.