I'm not sure why you don't want to take NJTransit from Penn Station and then the Newark Airport monorail directly to a car rental counter at the airport.

However you're planning on getting to the Tenement Museum, you'll then have to get to the nearest PATH station or to Penn Station. Considering your luggage, you'd best take a cab from the museum to either destination rather than the subway.

The closest PATH station is at the World Trade Center site, but, as you've discovered, there is no direct Saturday service to the Newport/Pavonia station, requiring a change of trains at Hoboken. You could go to the PATH station at Sixth Avenue and 9th Street, where you could pick up a train to Pavonia (still via Hoboken, but no change of train). It's complicated.

Once you arrive at Newport/Pavonia, you'll have to make your way to the car rental agency.

On the other hand, taking NJTransit from Penn Station two stops to the Newark Airport station, then the airport AirTrain is no more complicated than the PATH itinerary, and is much more suited to travelers with luggage--escalators and the like, unlike PATH. And remember, the AirTrain deposits you directly at the car rental buildings.

I still suggest that you rent your car at Newark Airport. It is very easy to get from there to I-78, the direct route to Allentown. Were you to rent at Newport, you'd have a more circuitous route to I-78, via either the Jersey City Extension of the New Jersey Turnpike or the Pulaski Skyway (US 1-9). Both have weekend construction going on now.

Head for EWR.

If it were me, I'd just go to NJ and pick up the car. The time will be a wash, or it might take 10 minutes more. The airport is still a much more annoying and expensive option (IMHO).

Just looked at a map of Newport Centre Mall. The Avis location is actually among the shops inside the mall; it's not a free-standing place. It is one level down from the bridge to the PATH station. Who knows how easy or difficult it would be to negotiate getting to it, then to the rented car, while schlepping luggage?

And, the route from Jersey City (the mall is near the entrance to the Holland Tunnel) to I-78 West (to Allentown) involves taking the Jersey City Extension of the New Jersey Turnpike (currently under construction) or the Pulaski Skyway (US 1-9), neither of which are particularly straightforward drives for someone not familiar with the area.

On the other hand, the OP can get directly (no mall) to a car rental agency at EWR via the AirTrain, thence directly to I-78 West.

A no-brainer.

Thanks so much for all the help everyone. Although I was trying to avoid going to EWR, I ended up getting a deal on a rental car there through Priceline (I didn't expect it to get accepted, but thought it was worth a shot). With the rental cut to about 40% of what I planned to pay, I can still pay for the trip to EWR and come out no worse in terms of cost.

So, now I just need to figure out the best way to EWR. I have read all of the suggestions above. It seems that any public transit option will involve some transfers with luggage, stairs, and at least $15/person. Since there are two of us, the public transit options would not be all that much cheaper than a car service. So, I am leaning toward the car service for the convenience of not having to make transfers with luggage. I am assuming the time involved would be similar. Of course, if I am missing something or any one has an alternate suggestion, I would be happy to hear it.

Thanks again for all of the suggestions.

I can only comment on the timing. It may or may not be similar to take the train or a car service.

It should be a bit faster to take a car service since you have to figure in the time it takes to get to Penn Station, buy a ticket, get on a train, make a transfer on arrival at the airport, etc. And the car service might be able to drop you off at the car-rental area (but ask to be sure).

Considering how close you plan on cutting things, I think the car service is probably the best option for you, but there can be a LOT of traffic on a Saturday afternoon, so the benefit of the train is obvious. You avoid the traffic and get out right at the car-rental lots.

We recently took the car service of Dial7. It was reliable and convenient, but:

We were amazed how congested Lincoln tunnel was - we needed almost two hours from EWR to Manhattan. Finally, we thought that the AirTran would have been faster.

If you take Dial7, use a coupon to get $3 or $4 off.
http://www.retailmenot.com/view/dial7.com
http://www.valpak.com/coupons/displa...offerId=785567

Be sure to print the coupon and hand it to the driver.

I cannot overemphasize (as others have now noted) how much traffic you might encounter at either tunnel (Holland/Lincoln) leaving Manhattan on a Saturday afternoon. If at all possible, for that reason alone, avoid car- or bus-based transfers to EWR from Manhattan.

Despite, as Doug mentions, the relative hassle of dealing with luggage on public transportation, both NJTransit and, especially, the EWR AirTrain are designed with travelers in mind. That is, there's space for luggage on both conveyances and the connection between them is designed to be as hassle-free as possible, with escalators, not stairs, for example (unlike PATH).

Here's a great summary of all the Manhattan-to-EWR travel options. Note the recommendations at the end: http://bit.ly/KzUu4. Note that NJTransit fares have just risen, so the fare info is slightly underestimated. And here's the Port Authority's (operator of EWR) brochure on the EWR AirTrain: http://bit.ly/cT4Hac. The NJTransit fare has been updated here.