Wash DC Parking in Evening?
 

I understand that parking is major problem during day in main tourist mall area. We will not be driving then. But was wondering, while visiting there this August (!!!), and wishing to see the monuments, etc at night, is parking more readily available then, after all the govt workers go home? Could we drive down there then and find street parking? Just a thought about getting around better to see it all.

It's the tourists, not the government workers, who create the problems for parking.

That said, you can probably get closer to some of the monuments at night by driving. I can usually find some parking in the area of the Jefferson Lincoln and FDR memorials, and the war memorials. You are competing with other people trynig to see the memorials plus people using the adjacent park.

The other point is that getting around these areas is not nearly as direct as one would think and if the driver isn't used to DC, it can be a little frustrating figuring out how to get from point A to point B.

I agree with Mike - it's tourists, not gov't workers, who use up the street parking.

But anyway, I'd say it depends how far you are willing to walk or which monuments you want to see. The monuments are pretty spread out and require a bit of walking to see all of them. If you park at Jefferson, you'll be on the far side of the Tidal Basin from all the other monuments. If you park up by the Washington Monument/WWII, you'll have a long walk the opposite way if you want to see Jefferson/Roosevelt, etc.

So, yes, you can probably find street parking, it's just a matter of figuring out WHERE you want to start/end.

Mike has some good advice. Parking near the memorials should be OK after rush hour (say, 8pm). It's especially easy to park on the Mall at night.

Just don't think you'll find a parking space near Metro Center, Gallery
Place, Penn Quarter, Dupont, Adams Morghan, U st., etc. if you want to go out after seeing the memorials. Night parking in those neighborhoods is even tougher than during the day (unless you're ready to shell out $20+ at a garage).

After 8pm for rush hour? Thats bed time!!! So it sounds like tourmobile or other night monument tour may be best way to do the evening part of it. Oh well, just a thought, hoping that it would be a ghost town after 6pm as all the spies and generals start their 3hr commute home.

Washington isn't hardly ever a ghost town, it's a major city. Tourists who drive are really a problem and have a terrible impact on the city. I'm a resident and wish they would all just leave their cars elsewhere, it is really obnoxious to be driving around a metropolitan area as a tourist and contributing to all the traffic problems and pollution, for no reason. Govt. workers have nothing to do with parking around tourist sites. I suspect you haven't looked at a map as the memorials aren't near govt. office buildings, and there isn't any way in the world workers can park on the street all day.

During thre summer, evening is after 8. It is when the monuments are the most beautiful. You could drive, as I said earlier. The other option is to take a taxi to some place central, like the WWII Memorial, and see the monuments by walking from place to place, then catching a can home.

Why would you want to park in D.C. when the metro system is such an excellent way of getting around? If not why not a Tourmobile or taxi?

Government workers and private industry workers using the Metro (subway) as often as possible. It is the best way to get around Washington DC.

I hope you realize that there's approximately 6 million people in the metro DC area.

In fairness, the Metro is not an easy way to get to the Memorials. It's a fair hike from the Smithsonian station, which is the closest station. A cab would be simpler than driving because ultimately, you usually end up parking and walking from memorial to memorial.

I live in DC and I would drive at night to the Memorials. I also know where to park, how to get around, how to avoid getting lost, and where the secret parking spaces are.