I've got an appointment at the White House on the 19th and we are going to do the open bus tour and all that crap over the rest of the two days. The biggie is where do we park in DC?
Just get a parking app?
Someone said Union Station?
Suggestions greatly appt!
Park the car at the hotel and take the Metro or a cab?
That's how we handled it the last time I was there.
I've noticed hotel daily rates are pricey for parking but for park it and forget it worth it. I pay $20 a day when I drive and that's a couple of blocks from Chinatown. UberX, Uber, Lyft, SpotHero for all your parking belongs to you, and there are always a ton of cabs. Union station has a taxi rank and you can walk to the Capitol/Supreme Court and even the supposedly hip H St NE restaurant district. Stay off the regular buses unless they're 'Connector Buses' which might be a really great idea. 
Not sure on prices at the Union Station garage but it is the red-line metro which can then take you to Farragut North which is semi-close to the White House if you like walking. Walking in this heat is disgusting at times and if your transportation of choice especially the cabs want to roll with the windows down to help with gas mileage politely tell them no and turn on the a/c. Cabs you can immediately bounce out of with no penalty due to the law mandating a/c and you'll get another cab in seconds. Rideshare might be about leaving a bad review if they balk. Parkmobile is a good app for meter parking and Jesus watch out for rush hours that's $100 in seconds and a tow with no mercy! Street cleaning is $45 and a $100 tow maybe also. One last note use the valet don't circle the block even once there is no parking, some are as cheap as $8 plus tip always worth it. 
https://spothero.com/washington-dc-parking
Funny this link was just in my inbox.
could always leave your car outside the city at one of the metro stations that feed into DC. But again, as stated, park at the hotel and leave it. It's worth it just for the lack of aggravation. DC has THE worst traffic in the nation by last survey, yes, even worse than anything NYC or California can throw at it.
Few times I've been I've strictly used the Metro. Park at a station out of the city and ride in.
where are you staying?
Agree with the metro, just leave early and be ready to walk, you don't want to drive in DC if you can avoid it.
Seriously - stay downtown within easy walking distance of the National Mall, within a couple of blocks. (partial to the Renaissance) Pay whatever it costs. There is no amount of money that will compensate you for the time lost and aggravation otherwise.
bludroptop wrote: Seriously - stay downtown within easy walking distance of the National Mall, within a couple of blocks. (partial to the Renaissance) Pay whatever it costs. There is no amount of money that will compensate you for the time lost and aggravation otherwise.
This works very well. We stayed at a Homewood Suites on Massachusetts Ave. We would walk out in the morning and catch a cab back to the hotel in the afternoon. The van never left the parking garage.
In reply to bludroptop:
Is the Mayflower on Connecticut a Renaissance property? Right by St. Matthews Cathedral which is where JFKs requiem mass was held and a 10 min or so walk to the WH. Pricey as all get out without specials but it is Marriott so look for 'Friends and Family' rates. 'Last minute weekends' for your dates are $170 per night. Just make sure Spitzer hasn't stayed in your room without boiling the sheets first. 
Oh wait 19th, corporate rate. 
In reply to bluej:
Hanover, Maryland I'd rather pay $400 for three nights of premium hotel than the same for one night.
NEALSMO wrote: Few times I've been I've strictly used the Metro. Park at a station out of the city and ride in.
This times a million. The metro is your friend
Drop a hint about how important the great lakes restoration fund is while you're there
You're going to be less than 10 miles from paul(Gimp).
QuasiMofo wrote: In reply to bluej: Hanover, Maryland
Oh, so you're actually staying in Baltimore. Got it. 
I think your best bet might be the MARC train. Takes you right into Union station and you can park at whichever MARC station nearest your hotel.
This is bringing back early memories of a family trip to DC. We drove 4 hours there, couldn't find parking, then drove 4 hours home. I think I saw the Washington Monument.
I work in DC;
From Hanover, you are looking at either MARC train, or going down the Greenbelt Metro.
Metro parking is $5.20/day (no overnight), I would advise getting there EARLY to ensure getting a space. https://www.wmata.com/schedules/maps/
MARC, I think has Park and Ride at Laurel and Laurel Park 
https://mta.maryland.gov/marc-train
I have never ridden MARC, so I dont have all the information on that.
Driving into DC is best avoided!
I live 26 miles from work and elect to drive 4 miles in the wrong direction and ride a commuter bus in. Its actually cheaper than parking in DC commonly, or at least close enough that by the time you add frustration and car wear in it doesnt make sense to drive.
you might also dive here for an alternative from a park and ride near where you are staying https://mta.maryland.gov/commuter-bus-route-listing
Don't drive in DC. Ever. Just don't.
Take the Metro or stay in a hotel inside the beltway and pay the ransom to park your car.
As others have said, you cannot park overnight at a Metro stop.
From Hanover: South on 32 to the Greenbelt Metro Station and ride the Metro from there. Probably need to get to the Metro station early to insure a parking space.
I haven't driven into DC since the Metro was opened. Before the Red Line was fully completed I would drive to Silver Spring and catch it from there.
We did DC about 4-years ago. We stayed with friends in Arlington, but drove into the city 2 or 3 days. Honestly I didn't find traffic any worse than Chicago or NOLA, although we waited until after most of rush hour had passed before heading to town.
A couple things I'll point out though: It's a pretty long walk from the Capital to the Lincoln Memorial, far longer than it appears on TV, or in movies/pics. However, walking from the Lincoln Memorial over to the Arlington National Cemetery, then up to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier & back is really not a good idea - especially if you parked near the Smithsonian complex.
Speaking of parking, we parked at an underground garage 2 or 3 block south of the Smithsonian. I don't remember the name, or if it was part of a hotel(though I don't think so), but the rates weren't outrageous($20-$30ish for most of the day) and we had no problem getting in or out.
Every time I've been up to DC I've been able to find a garage at $15 for the day. That said, I've been there much more often on weekends than on weekdays, so the situation may be different on a weekday.
We found a garage at New York and 15th Avenue for less than $20/ day, Literally the only traffic I had to deal with was on the first day when we rode the Big Bus red Line and caught TWO different Presidential Motorcade trips, on at 15th Ave and Pennsylvania (duh) and the second near the Canadian embassy.
Overall the trip was an easy success, we could have spent a week in DC, another in Ocean City, Another in Baltimore and another yet at Kings Island in Ohio.
Oh and the new 2017 Ford Explorer rental we got (Avis $338/wk) was a pretty great driving companion. I would consider a full time version without having my arm twisted too badly.
Thank you all for the advice!
Ocean City MD was my old summertime stomping ground! Many good times were had there. Some of them I can tell my wife and kids about. ;-)
Yeah traffic is exaggerated. Took me six minutes in town once this week to work. This is like 180 of Atlanta. Hard to believe you can move down six blocks with pace and no one cuts you off.
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