Originally Posted by
GovernorSilver
This reminds me to start a membership with our area's own bike share program (Capital Bikeshare or "CaBi" as the locals call it). We have the Smithsonian Folklife Festival coming up - the Rackspotter online app shows a reasonable selection of bike racks on the National Mall, but it'd probably be a better idea to use the bike share to get there instead of taking my own bike and leaving it locked somewhere on the Mall all day. It's not a $3000 carbon frame road racer or anything like that, but it is the only bike I've got.
I've heard stories of CaBi stations running out of bikes, so there is a bit of risk there but we'll see.
Actually, I would be hesitant. In DC, big events usually end up with "Dock-Blocking." When everyone takes a CaBi down to the event, and there's not enough space in the stations to drop the bike off. You then either have to carry the bike around with you and pay for the time, or drop it off way out of the way. They have started setting up corral services for big events and morning rush hours, so you may want to see if they plan on that for the festival. Honestly, you're fine locking up your bike downtown with a U-lock, especially during a daytime festival. There will probably be a thousand other bikes locked up in the area as well.