Rookie parking mistake in DC – a spot close to a stop sign. In New York and Chicago, you can squeeze in right by street signs and honey badger don’t care. Apparently, not so in DC. So when I walked in the bright sunshine to get my car the next morning, it was simply gone. My first thought is that it was stolen. But why? Then, that it was towed. But where? There was no sign anywhere.

I called 911, who redirected me to the Dept. of Public Works. The woman who answered put the phone down and yelled out to the room, “Anyone tow a navy blue car with New York plates?” No. And the vehicle didn’t come up on this site, the Towed Vehicle Locator – http://app.dpw.dc.gov/DPW/services/towing/locator.asp

Then I began googling anything and everything, and found this article, and learned about this magical “courtesy towing.”

At this point I’d called DC Public Works 3 times and each time was told to keep calling back in 15 minutes. It was clear that I could spend my whole day like this, so I decided to go looking for my car.

Voila. Half a block away, there it was. Two tickets – $100 for towing, $50 for parking too close to a stop sign.

I got in my car and drove away, fast!

Oh, DC.

My advice thus, to those who don’t see a sign by the place you stopped: you may have been courtesy towed. Go look for your car.