I posted another message, but was vague in saying which mall, so I'm posting again. I'm looking for safe, guarded, easily accessible parking places around the DC Mall/White House/Capitol building -- where our car won't be vandalized. Cost??? We'll be traveling with older people, and after trying to find reasonably priced hotels very, very near or across the street from a metro station, I have concluded it might be easier just to drive down there and park all day. Any advice?

Just replied to other post. Suggest you park at Arlington Cemetary and take tram.

There are many underground parking garages but most are in office buildings and more than likely full by the time you would need them. Cabs are plentiful and if you are close enough about $5 each way which would be equal or less than you would pay for parking. My garage (way off the mall) is $13/day. Even the metro might be difficult for elderly because it can be a walk from the train to the escalator to the surface.

Will you be there on a weekend? If so, and are there early enough in the day, you may be able to find parking on the Ellipse across from the White House. Otherwise, I would forget about parking. You will spend most of your time looking for a spot. On weekends, you can get parking with no problem in the garages, but they are expensive. Cabs from the Mall and White House area to the Capitol is $4.75 for one person in non-rush hour. Add $1.00 per person for each extra person in the cab.

I don't know what you have planned for your day in DC, but another option would be to park at Arlington as suggested above and take the trolly tour. I can't remember the Trolly name, but you can pick it up in Arlington and then spend the whole day traveling to the different monuments, the White House and The Capitol - getting on and off as you want. We found this to be a great way to see the whole city and learn alot on the way - a guide provides information between each stop.

Parking on the Mall looked almost impossible when we visited in March. Even on the weekends, there wasn't any street parking.

There's very little garage parking near the Mall. A lot of the parking right around there is for government employees. If you want to garage park, you're going to end up walking. The Metro would make more sense, or a cab.

If you're set on garage parking, it ranges between $9-$15 for the day.