What is the SAFEST / cheapest way to get from Baltimore to DC at night?

August 15, 2013 9:27 PM

I'm spending a weekend going from Baltimore to DC. I would prefer to bring my car and drive but I think with the hassle of trying to find parking or actually having to pay for parking in the DC/Arlington area it would be easier to take the train. I'm not too familiar with Baltimore's Penn Station at night and I'm a concerned for my safety if I were to park in a garage and have to return to their at night. Where is it safe to park at night at Penn Station? And how much would it cost? ... Are there any other alternative ideas? Thanks in advance!
posted by proficiency101 to Travel & Transportation (13 answers total)

Someone who is from DC would probably know more details about this than me, but I'm pretty sure you can park near a station in suburban Maryland (very safe) and take the Red Line into DC.
posted by breakin' the law at 9:33 PM on August 15, 2013

You can park at Greenbelt instead if you like, and metro in.
posted by empath at 9:35 PM on August 15, 2013 [1 favorite]

If you're entertaining alternate ideas, the absolute safest and cheapest way to get from Baltimore to DC at night is to have someone you trust drive you there for free. If this were during the day then having them fly you there for free might be the safer bet. I don't have the statistics on hand. Also, you should chip in for gas. This will cut into your savings but it's the right thing to do.
posted by jeffhoward at 10:13 PM on August 15, 2013

Just as an FYI, DC Metro does not allow cars to remain parked overnight in their garages or lots. The Greenbelt station is one of the few exceptions, but overnight parking there is limited to a small handful of specially designated, first-come-first-serve spaces. Otherwise, Metro garages are free on weekends.

Not sure if you're aware of this, but the MARC train does not run on weekends between Baltimore and DC. So I'm not sure what you're planning on catching out of Penn Station.

If you really insist on taking public transport, you could park in a Light Rail lot and take the train down to BWI, where you would transfer to the B30 bus, which goes to Greenbelt Metro station in DC. But that would take quite a bit of time.

Could you clarify if you're making a series of long day trips, or if you will need to leave your car overnight somewhere?
posted by Nomyte at 10:27 PM on August 15, 2013

Just as an FYI, DC Metro does not allow cars to remain parked overnight in their garages or lots

I've done it a bunch and have never been towed, but I've also never done it for an entire weekend.
posted by empath at 10:34 PM on August 15, 2013

Where do you live? I'm in North Baltimore and usually take a cheap cab to Penn Station, then catch the train from there. (As stated above, MARC doesn't run on weekends, just Amtrak). Parking near Penn isn't ideal, but they always have cabs there and I've felt pretty safe doing this. Plus, my cab rides are usually cheaper than the parking ramp. YMMV. Or, take your chances on Greenbelt overnight parking (I've done that before too with some success).
posted by JannaK at 3:45 AM on August 16, 2013

Amtrak should be easy from Baltimore to DC (Union Station) on the weekends. However -- I'm not sure what time you are planning to get into DC, but I've had major problems getting a cab at Union Station when I've arrived late at night.
posted by Cocodrillo at 4:01 AM on August 16, 2013

I've done it a bunch and have never been towed, but I've also never done it for an entire weekend.

I've parked at Greenbelt a few times from Friday night to Sunday night, didn't get towed. I mean, there's just no way. That lot is too huge. That said, do so at your own risk.
posted by windbox at 5:33 AM on August 16, 2013 [1 favorite]

I second Cocodrillo's answer. In fact, the Washington Post ran an article like 6 months ago, which mentioned how cabbies at Union Station routinely refuse to take riders to Maryland or Virginia. (Technically, they are not allowed to do this, but that doesn't seem to stop them.)
posted by emilynoa at 8:44 AM on August 16, 2013

I would prefer to bring my car and drive but I think with the hassle of trying to find parking or actually having to pay for parking in the DC/Arlington area it would be easier to take the train.

I disagree, just drive down, it's only a half-hour. IMO finding parking on a side street in DC, or around Arlington Orange Line stations (Ballston-VA Square-Clarendon) on the weekend wouldn't be difficult. But be advised, maybe that's just me, the rest of my less-experienced Maryland-suburban family members tend to balk at driving and esp. parking downtown (unlike me, they haven't actually lived there).
posted by Rash at 8:46 AM on August 16, 2013

I especially would NOT park way out at Greenbelt Metro, since that train takes way too long to get to/from downtown DC. If you insist, however, there's plenty of easy street parking on the west side of the station (the opposite side from the parking lot). Same with College Park, one station previous.
posted by Rash at 9:02 AM on August 16, 2013

MARC is a commuter train and only runs during weekdays around commuter times. The last MARC train from DC to Baltimore is like 7:30-ish and the last train from Penn Station to DC leaves at 9:15.

If you don't want to pay for parking and you are traveling on a weekend, the Amtrak train tickets from Baltimore to DC round trip are probably going to be significantly more expensive then just parking in DC.

If you're really gung-ho about public transit, you can park at BWI and take the WMATA B30 bus from BWI to the Greenbelt metro station for $6. From there you can metro into DC.

Or, you can park near one of the Montgomery County metro stations (Grovesnor, Twinbrook) which are super safe residential neighborhoods and take the red line in.
posted by forkisbetter at 9:57 AM on August 16, 2013

There is a parking lot with free weekend parking in Arlington near the Courthouse metro that you could use. It's the one at the intersection of 15th street and N Courthouse Rd. Normally it doesn't fill up too badly if you show up early in the evening unless there's something special going on nearby. It's two stops outside of the city, not bad at all. Also can't you just street park in DC?
posted by _cave at 2:48 PM on August 16, 2013