Our son and family have lived in DC for quite a while now, and my husband and I have given up on driving. Instead of driving there, the past few years, we have instead flown and let our son do all the driving. He is used to it and knows all the parking intricacies.
I just moved to DC and absolutely I agree with you that you should not drive in DC unless you absolutely have to. The roads are confusing, there are many pedestrians, and you need to constantly drive defensively. It's very stressful. Another thing I've noticed about street parking is that the rules are different everywhere you go. I tried parking along the street at a metered spot but it was during rush hour (4 PM - 6:30 PM) and they do not allow parking in those spots during rush hour. I just highly advise if you park on the street in the city is to always check the signs when you get out. It seems like almost every street has different rules so always check to make sure you check the signs.
We picked up a brand new car in Virginia and drove to DC to take in the Smithsonian. When we arrived, we saw that the parking was a concern so I called the number on one of the signs and had an EXTENSION conversation with the agent. I listened carefully and followed everything she told me. The one part she left out was that parking in the streets ENDS at a posted time. Thankfully, luck was on our side because when we were walking back to the car, we saw a tow truck pull up and was getting ready to take our vehicle. I'm sure he would not have had any mercy on us and it would have cost a significant amount if it had been towed. So I jumped in the car and quickly backed away from the truck. Even though I took every step I could to prevent doing anything unlawful, the agent STILL FAILED to warn us about leaving before the parking curfew. How convenient.
Just drove in DC for the 1st time yesterday...maybe I got lucky but it wasn't hard - maybe I am a better driver than average. Wasn't nearly as bad as New York City. Went for drinks for about 4 hours and found a garage on Spothero for $8.
Drove once, was not a bad drive into DC, and this was while DC was still under restrictions, not something I would recommend though, we used the metro most of the time anyway. Our last trip, we saw multiple vehicles towed, and the dreaded motorcade traffic jam.
Hi, my husband and I are going and we have to drive into DC. I’m trying to watch videos as this is our first time. We aren’t staying long so I’m trying to find a hotel near the monuments and White House. Do any hotels allow for free parking? If you can tell me anything I would so greatly appreciate it. Thanks for your time.
Just finishing up our 5 night stay in DC tonight. Thanks for all the great trip planning tips! After using the Metro for all of our transportation needs, we would never consider driving in DC. The Metro was so easy after watching your tutorials. Driving here is so unnecessary.
You're doing the Lord's work! You could have stopped after tip #1: Don't drive in the city if at all possible. Just take the freaking metro and walk if you are physically able.
We usually park at the structure at the University of Maryland metro stop and then take the yellow or green line to the Archives stop then just waaaaaalk.
My number one tip for driving in DC is just don't. The road layout makes absolutely no sense. Traffic moves like turtles at most. And finally, parking costs an absolute fortune if you can find it at all.
Once we legally parked our car near the USDA. When we came back it was gone. The police had towed it around the corner, because of something happening. Fortunately we walked around and found it.
Rob. I will be visiting in two weeks and intentionally getting a rental. BUT, planning to walk everywhere. With that said, can you recommend a reasonably priced (cheap) long term parking lot?
I have to be in mount pleasant neighborhood on Friday and notice on other RU-vid videos there are a bunch of cars parked on streets with no meters in that neighborhood . Can I park at those normal neighborhood street parking spots or do you need a special permit or something?
If we have to drive into DC where do we leave our car? We are trying to stay near the monuments and White House because we only have two days. It’s our first time and I need help. I’m watching as many videos as I can. Is there free parking with hotels? Then we can walk everywhere but as far as getting there we have to drive. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
most of all beware of uber drivers, they are very crazy, they use the rules according to themselves and many times they avoid accidents at the last moment.
