Better Than a Drive-In

As the sun sets over the Potomac, the crowd grows at the base of the Washington Monument. Dogs, happy to spend time outdoors with their owners, bound among the chairs and blankets spread upon the grass. A man pours more wine for his date as beads of condensation dampen her fingers where she holds the glass. Groups of summer interns, happy for something to do that doesn't stretch already tight budgets, collapse against each other on big blankets, laughing about the latest office gossip and their hot crushes.

And just as the sun disappears, the big screen at the end of the grass flickers for a moment, then comes to life with a classic cartoon. The crowd falls to a hush, their picnics packed away as all attention turns to the screen. Then, once the cartoon has finished, the movie begins.

It's all part of Screen on the Green, an annual outdoor film festival sponsored by HBO and America Online. The free event, which will continue every Monday evening through August 6, features classic films in a beautiful setting.

The series began on July 9 with An American In Paris, and continued on July 16 with A Streetcar Named Desire. The upcoming schedule includes A Patch of Blue on July 23, The Maltese Falcon on July 30 and the festival concludes with Meet Me In St. Louis on August 6.

There are some considerations to keep in mind when coming to see the movie. While the screen is placed at the bottom of a small rise, there are definitely some seats with better sight lines than others. The rise dips as it approaches the Washington Monument before climbing again, and my friends and I sat in that dip the first week, which meant we couldn't see the bottom quarter of the screen.

There also are not any bathrooms close to this spot on the Mall. The organizers set up a line of porta-potties, but there's not a whole lot worse than a porta-potty that's been sitting in the sun all day. Stay hydrated, but plan accordingly. Also, be prepared for a several block walk between the closest Metro station and the event site—the closest Metro stations are Farragut West, Smithsonian and Federal Triangle, but none of them are particularly convenient. Also, a friend of mine who went to the July 16 show reported that the closest of the two entrances to the Smithsonian station was closed at 11:30 p.m., which is when the movie ended.

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