parking downtown DC
 

Hello,
We're arriving in downtown Wash, DC, on a Sunday afternoon in Oct. I would rather find somplace cheaper than the hotel (the Mandarin) to park.

If anyone has any suggestions on garages in that area that would be open on Sunday I would greatly appreciate it.

(BTW, hotel is something like $30/day without tip.)

Thanks!

On-street parking should be available on Sunday afternoon in the Mandarin area, especially after about 4pm when museum goers beging to clear out. For Mon-Fri, there are lots that govt workers use, but I'm not sure about overnight availablilty. If you are willing to park the car and not use it at all during your stay, use longterm parking at National Airport and taxi to Mandarin.

I'm not sure how comfortable I would feel about street parking near teh Mandarin. It is a desolate area of town and I would think a great place to steal a car.

Parking in DC even at the Georgetown Mall is horrendously expensive..so the $30 that the Mandarin charges is in line...Just park the car there..

As the other poster says, you are in a desolate area...

My thought is -- you can afford the Mandarin but want to schlep around a deserted part of town to an off site parking lot to save a few dollars???

Just doesn't make sense to me. And if you got a great deal using priceline or something, then spend part of your savings on parking.

janis,
I agree. Most guests at the Mandarin arrive via limo.

Yawn_Boring,
Do you mind sharing the rate you got there??

I got an average rate, $350 night, and I don't plan on "schelping" anywhere. The question was, if there's a lot nearby that's cheaper why wouldn't I do that? It's not a case of "not being able to afford it."

Thanks to those who made some good suggestions.

PS -- the other reason is I'm parking Sunday and not driving again until Tuesday.

wow--You're spending $350 on a hotel room but want to spend the time going to and from a car parked elsewhere to save a couple bucks? Most garages won't charge that much, but they aren't $5 a day or anything, so you aren't going to save very much--most are around $20-25 a day, I think, in central DC. You can get some early bird specials in some areas for a bit less.

I don't think there are a lot of parking garages in that area, though, as most tend to be around central business areas, and some aren't open on Sunday, as you know. I don't know that area very well at all though, so would just say that if you drive around the hotel a few blocks and don't see one, to just use the hotel. You aren't going to save very much, anyway.

i think whats not being mentioned is that the mandarin, while beautiful, is in an odd location. Most hotels in DC are located close enough to other commercial parking lots so that if you shop around you might be able to save a few bucks without too much legwork. But the Mandarin, while convenient to daytime tourist attractions, is isolated and far from the main residential, hotel, or restaurant/shopping areas.

Street parking will be limited (either restricted during rush hours or require residential stickers) and many garages in that immediate area either won't be open on Sunday, or many do not offer overnight parking. However if you head towards Metro Center or the MCI Center you will find some lots for around $20/day.

Orange,
Good point. It's a bit out of the way and it's hard to really think of it as ``downtown'' because it's so far from most of the amenities.

I wouldn't worry about a car parked on the street in that area, however.

On-street parking for more than two hours at a time (except weekends and holidays) is inadvisable anywhere in DC because of rush hour restrictions, meter and residential zone limitations, street-cleaning schedules, etc. Out-of-towners are best advised to pick a garage and leave the car indoors for the duration of their stay.