The Lady of Shalott - William Holman Hunt
Travel
Hotel
The Sheraton, our conference hotel, is nestled in the heart of downtown Iowa City just blocks away from the University of Iowa’s campus. From the front door of the Sheraton, guests can walk out onto a pedestrian mall, the center of Iowa City’s picturesque downtown and home to a multitude of restaurants, coffee houses, galleries, and shops that our conference participants can enjoy throughout the weekend. Most importantly, the Sheraton is within easy walking distance of our on-campus exhibits, Old Capitol lectures, and theatrical entertainment.
To make reservations at our special conference rate of $99 per night, please call (319) 337-4058 or visit the Sheraton’s BWWC web page.
Be sure to indicate that you are making a reservation for the British Women Writers Conference. You must reserve your room before March 2, 2009 to receive the special conference room rate. For more information about the hotel, click here.
Graduate Travel Awards
We invite all graduate students to apply for the 2009 BWWC travel scholarships. Each year, in an effort to encourage emerging scholars in the study of British women writers, the BWWA is able to award $200 to three applicants. Scholarship recipients will be honored at the conference luncheon.
To apply for the award, after you have confirmed that you will attend the conference, please e-mail an abstract of your paper, your previous association with the BWWC (if any), and the distance you will travel to attend the conference to Dr. Pamela Corpron Parker, BWWA Chair, at pamelaparker@whitworth.edu by February 1, 2009.
Directions
The Sheraton is located at 210 S. Dubuque Street in Iowa City, IA. The telephone number is (319) 337-4058.
Airplane
If you are arriving by airplane, the closest airport is the Eastern Iowa Airport (CID) in Cedar Rapids, IA. You will need to arrange for transportation from the airport to the hotel by shuttle, taxi, or rental car (the hotel does not provide an airport shuttle).
Airport Shuttle
The Airport Shuttle Service provides service to and from the Easter Iowa Airport using minivans that can accommodate nine or ten people. The price for one individual going one way from the airport to Iowa City is $36 with only $5 added for each additional passenger (so sharing a van is very advantageous). The Airport Shuttle Service's counter is located inside the terminal near the baggage claim. There is no extra charge for late arrivals, but please call or visit the website a week in advance of your arrival to reserve a shuttle.
Toll-Free 1-800-725-8460
Local 319-365-0655
Airport Taxi Service
Century Taxi 319-365-0505
Yellow Cab Inc. 319-365-1444
American Class Taxi 319-363-8294
Century Taxi and Yellow Cab are both licensed to transport airport passengers to and from the airport. Most taxis can only handle four passengers, and each passenger is allowed one piece of luggage (additional charges are added for extra luggage).
Airport Rental Car Options
Avis 319-366-6418 or 1-800-331-1212
Hertz 319-365-9184 or 1-800-654-3131
National 319-363-0249 or 1-800-634-4242
Enterprise 319-366-5522
If you wish to drive from the airport, turn right onto Wright Brothers Blvd. SW. Merge onto Interstate 380 South. Take Interstate 380 to Interstate 80 East. Take Interstate 80 to Exit 244. Go south on Dubuque Street until you reach Washington Street. Make a left onto Washington Street. Go one block to Linn Street. Take a right onto Linn Street. Go two blocks and take a right onto Burlington. Go one block and turn right onto Dubuque Street and proceed to the hotel.
The airport is approximately twenty miles from the hotel.
Driving Directions
From East: Take Interstate 80 to Exit 244. Go south on Dubuque Street until you come to Washington Street. Turn left onto Washington Street. Travel one block and make a right onto Linn Street. Travel two blocks and make a right onto Burlington. Travel one block and turn right onto Dubuque Street and proceed to the hotel.
From North: Take Interstate 380 to Interstate 80 East. Take Interstate 80 to Exit 244. Go south on Dubuque Street until you reach Washington Street. Make a left onto Washington Street. Go one block to Linn Street. Take a right onto Linn Street. Go two blocks and take a right onto Burlington. Go one block and turn right onto Dubuque Street and proceed to the hotel.
From West: Take Interstate 80 to Exit 244. Go south on Dubuque Street until you come to Washington Street. Turn left onto Washington Street and travel one block. Turn right onto Linn Street and travel two blocks. Turn right onto Burlington. Travel one block and make a right onto Dubuque Street and proceed to the hotel.
From South: Take State Highway 218 to Interstate 80 East. Travel on Interstate 80 East and exit at Exit 244. Go south on Dubuque Street until you come to Washington Street. Turn left onto Washington Street and proceed one block and turn right onto to Linn Street. Go two blocks and take a right onto Burlington. Travel one block and turn right onto Dubuque Street and proceed to the hotel.
Parking
Parking is complimentary for hotel guests and conference attendees who park in the Dubuque St. Ramp at 220 S. Dubuque St. (adjacent to the Sheraton). Entrances to the ramp are located on the corner of S. Dubuque St. and Burlington St. and on the corner of Linn St. and Burlington St. Stop at the front desk of the Sheraton to have your parking validated. Click here for a map of downtown Iowa City parking ramps.
Iowa City Area Attractions
The Sheraton opens onto a downtown pedestrian mall, the heart of Iowa City’s cultural corridor. You can stroll by the historic Englert Theatre or stop at shops like the Artisans Gallery and Prairie Lights Bookstore, famous as a haunt for local writers and host to numerous readings by visiting writers. The downtown area also features a number of quirky, locally-owned restaurants such as the Motley Cow, Devotay, Atlas, 126, Linn St. Café, Masala, Formosa, and Thai Flavors, as well as excellent but easy lunch fare at the Bread Garden, Z’mariks, or India Café’s lunch buffet. For additional information about restaurants, click here. You will also be within a few blocks of the University of Iowa campus, where you may want to stop by the Bijou Theatre to catch a foreign film, or visit the stuffed Giant Ice Age Sloth in the Museum of Natural History (Macbride Hall). Be sure not to miss the historic Old Capitol Building which will feature a conference-related exhibit.
If you are driving, other area attractions include the Devonian Fossil Gorge near Coralville Lake, where fossils estimated to be 365 million years old have been uncovered by flood waters, and the Amana colonies, a national historic landmark showcasing the villages that were once home to a communal colony of German settlers. The Amana colonies are now known for their restaurants and craft shops (and for making refrigerators). You may also want to check out some of the museums in near-by Cedar Rapids. For more information about eastern Iowa, visit http://www.easterniowatourism.org/ or http://www.traveliowa.com/. The following websites also offer additional information on travel and tourism in Iowa City:
http://www.uiowa.edu/obermann/incoming/index.html
http://iowacitycoralville.org/visitors.asp
http://www.starwoodhotels.com/sheraton/property/area/index.html?propertyID=1282