Back in March, GM noted that the new Car2Go car-sharing service had the potential to be a great option for Georgetowners. Now it’s getting even better.
For those new to the system, it works this way: There are (now) 200 blue-and-white Smart Cars scattered around DC. With a membership you can hop in one and drive it to where you’re going. Once you get to your destination, don’t worry about returning the car to where you picked it up; it’s a one-way rental. Plus, you don’t have to worry about parking tickets; the company has taken care of that.
But even though you don’t have to feed a meter or worry about moving the car after two hours, you still need to find a legal space. This can sometimes be a problem when you’re driving to a nightlife hotspot. Car2Go is now going to make that a little easier.
They’ve located off-street parking lots around town where you can leave a car. Here are those spots:
Downtown: Central Parking Garage at 1667 K St., NW — 2 spaces and Overflow (ed: you just need to sign a ticket and give it to the parking attendant). The entrance to this garage is located on 17th St, just north of the corner of 17th St and K St. NW. The spaces are marked with signs and are the first 2 spaces to the right against the wall.
Downtown: Central Parking Garage at 2021 K St., NW — 2 spaces and Overflow. Access to this Central Parking Garage is available from the north side of K St. between 20th and 21st St. The spaces are marked with signs and are in front of you just down the ramp on the first level, to the right of the pillar.
Downtown: Central Parking Garage at 1100 15th St., NW — 2 spaces. The entrance to this garage is located on L St just before you reach 15th St.; The spaces are marked with signs and are on the first level to the right as soon as you enter the garage, against the wall.
Waterfront: Central Parking Garage at 1101 4th St., SW — 2 spaces; car2go spaces are located outside of the garage on the right side as soon as you turn into the driveway and are marked by signs (no keypad at this location).
L’Enfant/Federal Center: Central Parking Lot at 501 4th St., SW — Surface lot with 2 spaces, accessible from 4th St., SW or E St., SW. Our spaces face E St. and run parallel to 4th St. SW and are marked with signs (no keypad at this location).
Georgetown: Central Parking Lot at 1403 Wisconsin Ave., NW (CVS lot) — Surface lot with 2 spaces accessible from Wisconsin Ave. entrance just north of O St.. During business hours, attendants will show you where to park your car2go. After hours, just park your car2go in any available space (no keypad at this location).
That last one should be of particular interest to Georgetowners. It means both a place you can leave a car and a place you’ll likely find one. Car2Go works best as a replacement for a taxicab, so next time you find yourself looking for a quick ride across town, consider using Car2Go.
The Georgetown Metropolitan 
I have noticed these things taking up parking spaces supposedly reserved for residents, even seen one with a ticket on it (so there might be some confusion on the whole legal to park anywhere). Have friends who are in the car free life use them…but have to worry about finding another one late at night sometimes in parts of the town you might not want to be walking around a lot late at night. They have a place…but, I like actually owning a car and knowing it will be available for me when I want it.
RNM: These cars are allowed to park in RPP spaces (in all 8 zones) and at meters (without having to pay the meter). The company pays the city a flat rate to cover the lost meter revenue.
They fill a different need than personal cars or Zipcars. It’s true you won’t always be able to find one, but it’s also true you sometimes need to go only one direction, and not everyone has a personal car.