With so many Smithsonian Museums on National Mall it’s easy
to overlook the other museums in DC . Although I spent a lot of time in the
Dupont Circle neighborhood when I lived in the DC area, I somehow don’t think I
was even aware of the existence of the Phillips Collection only two blocks from
the Metro station.

The Phillips houses a collection of modern art amassed by
Duncan and Marjorie Phillips who opened their collection up to the public as a
museum almost a century ago. It is an impressive collection of works from
impressionism through the first half of the twentieth century, both by European
and American artists. The museum is not especially large but now sprawls
through their original mansion and three extensions so takes up a good part of one
side of a block. I was quite impressed by what I saw and could take it all in
in about an hour and a half since it’s not as overwhelming as more encyclopedic
art museums.

For evening entertainment my host Mike Watson, my brother’s
good friend with whom I reconnected last year when we were both groomsmen at my brother’s wedding, had gotten tickets for an Oktoberfest hosted by a Young
Catholics group he sometimes participates in, held in a basement of the church
hall of Saint Thomas the Apostle Church in Woodley Park . “Mikey, you’re taking
me to a church social – sounds like a wild Saturday night!” I’m neither Catholic
nor young at 47 (and Mike is not much younger than I am) but I impersonated one
to partake in the all-you-can-eat German buffet and unlimited keg beer. That’s
one thing you have to give the Catholics credit for; they have a pretty relaxed
attitude towards booze compared to many other religions. I wouldn’t normally
expect to get buzzed on Weihenstephaner at a church-sponsored event. The church
basement cooked German buffet was pretty good too, but I had no luck winning
anything in the raffle.