missjanna

I originally reserved the Hilton Garden Inn in Arlington, however I just saw a great rate for the Wyndham Washington. I'm aware this hotel is a couple of blocks from the Metro, and is on the edge of a crappy neighborhood.

My question is this: Valet parking at the Wyndham is $26. Are there any cheaper options in the area? We're driving in, and our rate at the Hilton with free limited parking is about the same as the Wyndham with valet, but looking for a cheaper option! Plus the restaurant we have reservations with is 4 blocks from the Wyndham. Any help is appreciated!

MikeT

Depends if you are coming on weekends or weekdays. If here over a weekend, you may be able to get a slightly cheaper rate. If here for a weekday, it could be tougher. The Wyndham is in a business neighborhood where parking is high.

Tandoori_Girl

Believe it or not, I actually parked for free across the street from the Wyndham. There is street parking there but not much. I can't remember when I was there, whether or not it was the weekend, but I parked on the street. So if you're not there long, you might get on street parking -- but of course that's not something you can count on.

I believe long term parking at Union Station is $18/day. Not much cheaper and then you'd have to take the metro on top of that.

E

I haven't lived there in years, but as I recall, parking in DC *can* be free and unlimited on the street on weekends and evenings, but is never free and unlimited during the weekdays. Feeding the meter is technically illegal, but on top of that, you can't plan on doing that every 2 hours! Which is a long-winded way of saying, don't count on street parking!

rb_travelerxATyahoo

Are you driving in from NYC? If so, and can manage hauling your own luggage, then multiday parking is available at the Greenbelt Metro station, and the weekends are free.

http://www.wmata.com/metrorail/drive.cfm

missjanna

We are driving in from NYC, but we're not hauling any luggage by any means! LOL Maybe just a duffel bag for each of us, as we're driving down this Fri and leaving Monday around noon. Also, knowing my bf, I doubt he would want to keep the car far from where we would be staying, even if we can take the metro there. But I will pose that proposition to him anyway......

missjanna

Okay convinced him to park at a Metro station and leave it there, but from researching posts on here, even though Greenbelt station has the most parking spaces, it's supposedly also in one of the worst counties of MD. (Prince George?)

Is there a Metro station where we can park the car for the weekend and not have to worry about the car being broken into while we're gone?

Christina

There are only a couple metro station parking lots where you are allowed to park multiple days and those spots are limited. Greenbelt is the only one on that side of the city (the others are Huntington and Franconia).

I wouldn't bother with that myself, you can get parking in std. parking garages in the city for usually $10-13 a day. There is a PMI garage within a block of Wyndam (11110 NH Ave) that only charges $12 a day, for example. That one is open every day, although some of theirs are not. They usually close between 10-midnight, also (some later on weekends), but I think you are allowed to leave your car there, you just can't take it out or in after that.

All garages in the city I've seen are cheaper than $26 a day, although maybe not the ones at the top hotels, and of course valet parking costs more. YOu can see all the PMI parking garages on www.pmi-parking.net. YOu might want to call and check on whether you can leave your car overnight. There are other companies in DC, also, like Colonial, but PMI has a lot of garages in the city. I wouldn't have called the Wyndam on the edge of a crappy neighborhood, not sure which neighborhood you mean by that. I assume you're talking about the one on NH Ave.

missjanna

It's the one on 14th & M, but I was basing the edge of a seedy area rule due to 1. The park near there by 16th St. was not that great at night when I was last in the area, and 2. based on posts of hotels in the area on Tripadvisor.

We will probably park in a garage, he did say he wants to have access to the car if need be, although I have informed him that in DC we will most likely not need it, as the Metro can pretty much get us around. (I went to DC in November, without a car and had no problems getting around on the Metro!)

bardo

Your car will be just fine at Greenbelt Metro. It is not a bad area plus there is great security - towers with video camerers and also has very high foot traffic (except very late at night). Plus it's only $3 a day. BTW, the area of your hotel is gentrifiying so fast you may not recognize it from your last trip.

MikeT

The area around the Wyndham is fine, although not densely populated at night. I can't envision an unsafe park on 16th Street, although there are homeless around.

LT

missjanna:

My suggestion would be to park @ Reagan National Airport & take the Metro from there. I usually fly out of BWI, but I believe that the last time I flew out of there, I parked for about $9/day (in the long-term lot; there's a bus that will drop you off basically @ the Metro).

They've had a few incidents this past fall of cars being broken into at the Greenbelt station. Don't know if that's still an issue, but I know I wouldn't want to be in a strange town & end up w/a smashed car window.

While I'd feel prefectly safe parking for the day, I wouldn't feel too good about leaving my car at almost any Metro station overnight. Plus, as someone else mentioned, virtually all Metro stations do not have multi-day parking.

Hope you enjoy DC!

Dick

LT,

I fly out of BWI rgularly and use a cheaper lot.

With an online coupon, the rate is $6 daily and $5 on Sat and Sun.

When you enter the lot, the shuttle van follows you to your parking space. Then it takes you to the terminal without having to wait. Upone return, the shuttle takes you right to your parking space.

LT

Dick:

I think you misread my post . . . I told her to park @ Reagan; not BWI.

BUT , I am curious about where you park for $6 @ BWI . . .

I use Pre-Flight Parking on Stoney Run, & even online, their rate is about $9/day, pretty much the same as BWI's long-term lots. Could you let me know which lot has the $6 rate?!?

Thanks!

Dick

LT,

"I usually fly out of BWI, but I believe that the last time I flew out of there, I parked for about $9/day "

I was responding to that comment.

Ths link for the BWI parking coupon an directions. After taking the exit off 95 to the airport, I get off on the BWI Parkway and go about 3/4 north to the West Nursery Rd exit.

http://www.airportfastpark.com/main/nurserycoupon.html

missjanna

Thanks for the suggestions, we're playing it by ear parking wise, although parking at BWI wouldn't make as much sense as it's probably the furthest of the 3 airports! Even after parking, we would still have to get to our hotel in Downtown DC and at 10-11pm at night, I don't really want to have a mission to the hotel!

We're either parking at National or in one of the lots near the hotel tonight. Another 2-3 hours and we will be on the traffic congested road out of Manhattan to DC...... ;-)

missjanna

Just a quick question as I have an hour before BF gets here to pick me up from work...(ugh, my rant is now killing time at work till he gets here!)

Is there any way that is faster than the nightmare that is I-95?? Any alternates, maybe 301 or 50? I checked a map, but you can't see traffic or construction on a map, can you?