Yesterday I rode to DC for work. (Some of us call it commute, i call it pleasure :P) When you usually go to DC you look for a parking spot. If you live or work around Golden Triangle you are luckier with a motorcycle. Because there are several motorcycle parking spots around this area. This particular one on Penn avenue between 18th and 19th street NW is always empty. Here is why?!

First of all, although this part of Penn Avenue has almost no rush hour traffic at all after the closure of the part of it behind the white house, there is still a rush hour enforcement. This means at 4 pm you need to take your bike out of that spot, or a $100.00 ticket is waiting for you. Second, and the most stupid reason is that the park meters there are always FAILing. Here is what happened to me yesterday.

I parked my bike on one of these meters. I put a quarter (a quarter = 1 hour parking) meter displayed 1:00, i put another, still 1:00, i said ok a glitch, i put another… Still 1:00……. So I said ok this is broken so i went to the next one. 0:00 is blinking. I put a quarter, bink! FAIL… I`m like… OK… Try the next one. Same story 0:00 .. put a quarter… blink! FAIL. I tried 4 (yes four) consecutive meters… and all of them… 0:00 .. put a quarter.. blink! FAIL… Nice sequence eh?

Now I`m at the 6th meter. I put a quarter, it displays 1:00! GREAT! I put a dime to test it out the first case. (I`m smart!) it displays 1:12. COOL! So i pull my bike from the first spot to this meter. Park, lock the bike, remove gloves, etc… Come back to the meter. Put another quarter… blink! FAIL! GRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!! DC Service Request Page. Work a bit, go to lunch and check my bike… WTF?! I have 12 mins left on my broken meter for my bike!