>I cannot tell you how much I hate tourists who drive in this city<

I cannot tell you how much this tourist hates driving in the city!

You are lucky that you didn't get towed, but that is because DC never gets its act together to tow anyone unless they need to clear a street on Secret Service orders. Pay the ticket, and be glad that no one keyed your car to show you how they felt about you blocking a traffic lane in rush hour. DC is prone to gridlock anyway, and - even though you didn't do it on purpose - you probably caused a 30 minute delay for people who travel on that street. Plus, DC needs the tax dollars.

LOL Birdie! I drove once in DC, but it was an accident. :-)) I missed the entrance to Arlington National Cemetery and headed over the bridge into the city. I tried to make it fun and educational - "Look, kids, there's the Lincoln Memorial!" as we whizzed past. We got back to Arlington, I missed the exit again..."Hey, kids, I think that's the Vietnam Veterans Memorial!"

Lee Ann

That is so easy to do in that area, Lee Ann.

Maybe they have your license plate number!

This is one of those unexpected little expenses we sometimes incur while traveling. It probably amounts to an infinitesimal percentage of the total cost of your trip.

I count these as learning experiences. In this case, to take greater care in reading signs.

I once fumed for weeks over a ticket I got in a South Dakota speed trap. What a waste of time.

On a recent trip to LA, I tried to save a $10 parking lot fee by parking on the street. I failed to read a sign about street cleaning between 2:00 and 4:00 on Tuesdays. I ended up paying a $63 ticket.

Join the club.

HTTY

Pay it. The license # and VIN are probably on the ticket and they can track you using either. PaulRabe is correct that they can turn you over to a collection agency (which usually means you paying a higher amount) and the agency can and will put it on your credit record if you don't pay. And if it's a rental car, the rental agency will do one of two things: rat you out to DC parking enforcement faster than you can say "responsible party" or they'll pay the ticket and charge your credit card for the cost of the ticket plus their administrative fee.