bardo1, thanks. I guess that was actually our plan, so we may have to rethink. I know the Metro is supposedly great and we've never done that, but Peter has a new super camera with some lenses he wants to try out, so we're thinking of doing a major hop around the city shooting landmarks type of day also on Friday. Maybe I'll drive and pull over while he shoots out the window. LOL

My only caveat on street parking would be to carefully check the signage. There can be multiple and sometimes conflicting directions.

Residential parking restrictions, metered parking, rush hour & street cleaning parking restrictions will be in effect on the Friday after Thanksgiving. Otherwise you're pretty good to go with the holiday and the weekend.. Sounds like a fun trip, Patrick.

Residential parking in Dupont will be in effect on Friday, not on holidays or weekends or evenings (Not sure what time it goes off in that area in the evenings.) You can park for two hours in zone 2 (Dupont area) when residential parking is in effect. Not sure which day there is street cleaning which also limits the hours for parking.

Yestravel, the hotel concierge told me that THIS Friday is considered a holiday and there are no parking restrictions in the area.

Patrick, Double check that. Per DC Public Works Facebook page:

Trash/Recycling Not Collected; Parking Enforcement Suspended
Leaves will be collected as scheduled from Area B neighborhoods.

The Department of Public Works announced today how services will be affected in observance of Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 22.

Parking Enforcement: Parking meter regulations will not be in enforced. Residential parking and rush hour lane restrictions will not be enforced. Also, DPW will not tow abandoned vehicles. <b>Parking enforcement will resume Friday, November 23.</b>

My bold. https://www.facebook.com/dpwdc

There was a McDonalds tent just outside the Air and SPace a couple of years ago . . quick in and out!

Drat. Now the hotel concierge is not so sure about that after all. But now we also find we may not be able to get to our hotel or anywhere else in DC tomorrow morning due to the marathon!
Driving in from Baltimore and expect to arrive around noon or before.

Did the concierge say that you wouldn't be able to get to the hotel b/c of the Turkey Trot marathon? I'm confused. The course isn't near your hotel.

Agree with obxgirl's. Turkey Trot should not interfere with getting to Dupont Circle tomorrow. U don't really go near it and there are lots of routes that will get you to your hotel.
Also parking regs ARE most definitely enforced the Friday after Thanksgiving. As suggested above, just look at all the signs carefully. I have gotten tickets misreading a conflicting and confusing parking sign in DC. And DC tickets are not cheap.

Why do I get the feeling the Fairfax concierge doesn't have a clue about anything?

I was thinking that very same thing...that's why these travel boards are so invaluable with real people who know the area.

The Air and Space museum has a good restaurant.

Hi, Neo, we went to DC this summer. For a quick/easy meal:

1. Corner Bakery (near White House).
2. Potbellies, sandwich shop chain, surprisingly good. (Went to one near National Archives.)
3.Ray's Hellburgers, only if you're going to Virginia anyway. (Suburban Virginia, cash only)

Re parking in DC. Follow the rules/rates on the meters, because that's what the enforcers go by, despite what may seem like different or unlcear directions on standing signs. For example, where the sign says two-hour limit until 6:30 pm, it does not mean free parking after then, only that you may park and pay for a longer time in the evening. You would learn that detail from the meter itself.

Ok, we're back. And I learned even the department of public works isn't sure what's going on. We found that parking meters didn't seem to work in Georgetown on Friday. It seemed to charge the credit card, and sounded like it was trying to print the sticker for the car, but nothing would come out. We tried calling the number on the parking machine, and got an authorization number which we thought might come in handy if we got a ticket, since it was impossible to print a permit. But inside a restaurant we were told that indeed meters were free for Friday and that's "probably" why they weren't working. How would anyone know that? So the rules of the parking authority apparently don't apply to Georgetown?

I realize that the lunch in question has already occurred (and I hope it was great), but I want to put in a plug for the new Wolfgang Puck restaurant at the Newseum, which is called The Source. Amazing! Great food and service and a warm, modern, sun-splashed dining room. I highly recommend it. I had the Drunken Noodles, others had the crab salad sandwich, pumpkin soup, tuna tartare, and some sort of stir fry in lettuce cups, and it was all excellent.

I think that is wrong -- DC parking rules are pretty much a mess and confusing. I find it very strange that meters were not being enforced on Friday in Georgetown different from the rest of the city. Before the rules changed in 2010 parking was free at meters on Saturdays and I thought it applied everywhere. I was parked on a Saturday near the Newseum and even told some tourists they didn't need to put $$ in their meter. Well, I returned from the Newseum and had a parking ticket. Hopefully the tourists left before the tickets were issued. Turns out there were sections of downtown where meter parking was exempt from the No meters on Saturday -- who knew?

How was your visit and how were your meals?

yestravel, yes, it was very confusing about parking. And driving in DC is no picnic either. Streets were surprisingly not crowded over the weekend -- thank goodness -- or it would have been much worse. But even with a good GPS saying "turn right on New Hampshire at an intersectin of three streets coming together and NONE of them having visable signs -- how is one supposed to know which street is which? That happens a lot due to the angled streets -- as well as streets which have several names at the same time. I also loved a couple intersections where as you pull up you see a green traffic light and a red traffic light right next to each other. Which are you supposed to look at. Sometimes, with some very careful examination you can figure out that one of those lights is actually pointing at a slight angle for the angled street coming in also, but really both look like they are facing right at you -- and at night, even more so!

And while many said "just use the Metro", well, hmmm. Like to go from our hotel to the Kennedy Center we'd have to walk a few block to the Metro, buy tickets, wait for a train, then go half way across downtown to get to a station where we'd change lines --- walk and then wait for that train -- to head back to Foggy Bottom on the other line, then emerge and wait on the street for the shuttle bus to take us to the Kennedy Center. After the show we could repeat that in reverse. Meanwhile all bundled up against the cold. Or we could take the car and be there in 5 minutes (even though we'd have to pay for the garage, but it's indoors and just an elevator ride up to the theatre. We didn't even need to wear coats as we were never really outside. Guess which option we chose!

But I have posted a trip report. Click on my name to find it.
We had a wonderful time.

Glad u had such a good time despite the traffic/driving confusion. Funny to hear your descriptions. Being a live long resident I never notice such things. I know people always have trouble with circles, but never thought about the things u pointed out.