Parking With Parkmobile

When we lived on Capitol Hill we had to park on the street. We also had to have parking stickers to prove we were residents. That was then. Now we live in northern Virginia and we miss our street parking parking stickers! Now we know why anyone who came to visit us appreciated the visitor parking passes we also had because we were residents. Now we either find a parking space that has two hour parking and make sure we are in and out within two hours, or we use the parkmobile app. When we attend programs at the Library of Congress we can usually find a two hour designated spot. But when we are about town looking for photos for my weekly challenge we usually use park mobile. The best place is at the tidal basin because it’s a best kept secret - unless it’s cherry blossom time when you avoid it like the plague. The next best place are the streets inside the National Mall. Our favorites are by the Smithsonian castle or the American Indian Musuem. When all else fails we park on independence Avenue across from the American Indian museum. Once in a while we go back to our neighborhood and park by our condo building in a two hour space. But you really need to read the signs that are posted to avoid tickets or tows. And it can be very confusing if you are a non resident. The average rate is about four dollars for an hour and a half. So now we spend about sixteen dollars a month for parking because we do try to visit every week - just to get out of the house. Is it worth it? Sometimes. At least we have an option. 

Car Theft - We Thought!

It’s not unusual. When I was working in the Midwest I went to get my car after work on the top level of the parking garage. It was gone! I will never forget the feeling I had. It was Christmas Eve day. So I went back inside the hospital, found the security guards and reported the theft. In reviewing film, we watched my car leave the garage being driven by someone else. It was eventually tracked down a couple of months later near Chicago. By then I already had a new car. Today we went to the national mall for a morning walk. We did our usual ParkMobile parking app thing and went to the Smithsonian Castle, back up to the front of the Capitol, through the Botanic Garden, and down to the American Indian Museum. Then we stopped at a bench to order take out at our favorite Alexandria Greek place. When we walked towards where we thought our car was, it wasn’t there! I’m usually very good at remembering where we park. This time I was getting really nervous and the feelings of a stolen car crept back. I thought we were parked in front of the Air and Space Museum, but there was no sign of it. Who would steal a car in such a busy place? Then I remembered that the ParkMobile app has a function that shows you where your car is. I wondered if it would track it if it was many miles away. We were already thinking about calling the police - but my husband said there was nothing to get concerned about. What!? I was so relieved when the app showed that our car was parked in front of the American Indian museum. I still didn’t believe it until I saw it. I was never so happy and relieved when it was located - thinking of all the things in the car that would be lost and the money required to make up the difference between what insurance would pay and what a new car would cost. Having been through it once was enough. Thank goodness it really didn’t happen - but it feels like it did. Even though our car is already seven years old we still like it enough to want to keep it for a while. 

Parkmobile App

We needed to stop at the Apple store in Arlington to check on a wireless TV question. As nothing in Apple takes less than a few minutes, we decided to use the parkmobile app to schedule a two hour window rather than use the parking garage that is ten times more expensive. So we did. We were attended to right as we walked in the door, and our question was answered in short order. So we ended up using all of fifteen minutes of the scheduled and already paid for parking space. All in all it was worth it because my husband wanted to try out the app for himself. It's the password that's always the hardest part to remember. What I like about it is the email updates at each step of the process. And it only cost $2.75. One of these days I'd like to try the scanner option that can be used in parking garages. But the next time we should probably start out with an hour and add on to it if we need to. All in all it beats carrying around a lot of change. Now that seems really archaic! 

  

Parkmobile is a Good Option

It's been a awhile since we needed to park the car in a metered spot. We needed to run some errands in Arlington and usually use the parking garage. But we decided to use the Parkmobile app we first downloaded quite some time ago. After updating the credit card information we slipped in to a spot right near our destination. A few things have changed - you can actually use it to pay if you are in a garage by scanning the code. The nice thing about using this app is that it updates you on the status from start to end. Because we were in a two hour limited area we would not have the option to renew it for whatever amount of additional time we might need, so this trip needed to be organized. I continue to be amazed by these small conveniences that technology brings to us. It's also a lot cheaper than the garage. I'm glad we don't need to use Parkmobile that often even though we live in the city - getting the car registered and obtaining parking permits is another story. At least we don't need to worry about having enough change to plug the meter. I'm looking forward to the driverless car. Now that would really be a game changer. Wonder how parking will work for that?