I just realized that I'm staying in the hotel where Ronald Reagan was shot.

In the summer of 1984, I visited Washington, D.C., for the first time. Along with my family, I took in all the usual sights: the White House, the U.S. Capital, the Lincoln Memorial, Arlington National Cemetery, etc., etc. And while all those locations still linger in my mind, none of them marked the high point of the trip.

No, the pinnacle of that trip occurred on the afternoon of July 4, 1984, at the Mall near the Washington Monument when The Beach Boys took the stage to perform a free concert for 750,000 people. What a spectacle. People were tossing frisbees, having picnics, and (if you happened to be the hippies sitting right next to us) smoking pot. For a 10 year old kid, this was a lot to take in, but what stuck with me most was the music. The band rattled off one hit song after another, and even brought out a few guest stars to join them, including Ringo Starr.

The show was an important one for The Beach Boys. The previous year's concert had been called off when then-Secretary of the Interior James Watt forbid the band from playing on the Mall because he believed they would attract an "undesirable element" (i.e., druggies) to the concert. While there was probably at least a shred of truth to the accusation (for the better part of three decades Brian Wilson was one of the most heavily drugged people in pop music), the band's wholesome image made the charge sound ridiculous. As a result, there was a huge public backlash against the Secretary's decision. In 1984, First Lady Nancy Reagan personally invited the band to return to the Mall for their traditional Fourth of July concert.

The concert was notable for another reason. Just 7 months earlier in December 1983, the band's drummer, Dennis Wilson, drowned while swimming in the water near his docked boat. The 1984 D.C. show was one of the band's first concerts since the tragedy (hence the reason for guest drummer Starr's appearance).

For these reasons, the show was used as the big emotional finale in the 1990 made-for-TV band biopic "Summer Dreams: The Story of the Beach Boys." (Don't bother. It's a horrible movie. They couldn't even use real Beach Boys music, so all of the film's songs are cheap covers from soundalikes that don't sound alike. Watch 2000's "The Beach Boys: An American Family" instead -- if you can find it. Better yet, pick up the excellent documentaries, "Endless Harmony: The Beach Boys Story" and "Beautiful Dreamer: Brian Wilson and the Story of 'Smile'")

The concert had a huge impact on me. For the next several years I lived and breathed Beach Boys music. "Don't Worry Baby" became my all-time favorite song, "The Little Girl I Once Knew" provided a private soundtrack for every secret crush, and "In My Room" helped me through many tough times. With all the use they received, it's a wonder my copies of "Endless Summer," "Spirit of America," and "Made in U.S.A." didn't turn to dust in my tape player.

Things changed in junior high when I discovered The Beatles. Almost overnight my love for The Beach Boys vanished.

With the release of Brian Wilson's "Smile" (if you haven't listened to it, do so immediately) a couple of years ago, my interest in the band was rejuvenated in a big way. But with a few twists. Before, Mike Love had been my favorite band member. Now, it's Brian Wilson. Before, I loved all the songs about cars and surfboards. Now, I much prefer the tales of bittersweet love and growing up. Before, I believed the band stopped making good music after "Pet Sounds" and "Good Vibrations." Now, I know full well that the band went on to make some of their best albums after those triumphs.

And I've come to realize that it is, in fact, possible to like both The Beach Boys and The Beatles.

If you're interested in hearing some highlights of the band's work, here are what I consider to be their 5 best albums:

All Summer Long (1964) - The Beach Boys early "surf and drag" albums were extremely uneven, but this is the best of the bunch. "I Get Around" and "Little Honda" get all the attention, and they are good songs, but the real gems are two lesser known tracks, "Hushabye" and "Wendy."

The Beach Boys Today (1965) - This is the album that first revealed the true genius of Brian Wilson, and it easily marks the pinnacle of the band's pre-"Pet Sounds" existence. Side One starts off with 3 typical Beach Boys songs, but once "When I Grow Up (to Be a Man)" kicks in, it's obvious this isn't the same band that recorded "Fun, Fun, Fun." Then comes Side Two. A thematic dry run for "Pet Sounds," side two features a five song cycle lamenting the emotional highs and lows of teen romance. "Please Let Me Wonder" and "Kiss Me Baby," in particular, are devastating portraits of heartbreak.

Pet Sounds (1966) - This, the band's masterpiece, is generally considered second only to The Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" as the greatest pop album of all time -- and Sir Paul McCartney says it is the greatest. Remarkably, Brian Wilson was only 23 years old when he wrote, arranged, and produced this loose concept album about the challenges of growing from youth to adulthood. "Wouldn't It Be Nice" kicks off the album with one of the most complex arrangements used on a pop song up to that time, while the layered harmony on "God Only Knows" only enhances its status as one of the greatest songs ever written.

Friends (1968) - My personal favorite of all their albums, this was Brian Wilson's last hurrah as the band's leader before succumbing completely to his personal demons. There's not a single hit song on this album, yet it contains some of the most beautiful harmonies ever put on record. Brian's voice is magnificent throughout, particularly on his ode to fatherhood, "When a Man Loves a Woman." The album also marked the emergence of drummer Dennis Wilson as a creative force within the band, a development that would help sustain the band through a long commercial drought.

Endless Summer (1973) - Maybe it's cheating to include a greatest hits collection here, but this compilation single-handedly turned the band from has-beens to rock and roll legends while earning them Rolling Stone magazine's "Artist of the Year" award for 1973. All the band's biggest hits ("Fun, Fun, Fun," "Surfin' U.S.A.," "California Girls," "Help Me, Rhonda," etc.) are here, and anyone wanting to hear The Beach Boys at their best can't afford to not check out Brian Wilson classics like "Surfer Girl," "In My Room," "Let Him Run Wild," and, of course, "Don't Worry Baby" -- which is still one of my all-time favorite songs.

Also check out: 20/20 (1969) and Sunflower (1970)

Coffee: The jet lagged traveler's best-est friend.

Actually, I seem to have adjusted to the time shift rather well. By 11 p.m. last night (8 p.m. Pacific) I could barely stay awake. And this morning I was wide awake 5 minutes before my alarm went off at 6:45 (that's 3:45 in the morning in Vegas!). Eager to get some blood flowing, I hit the hotel gym right away.

For those of you who are unaware, last year I began a massive self-improvement regime that, most significantly, involved quitting cigarettes (I recently celebrated 1 whole year as an ex-smoker) and losing weight. In the weight department, I'm happy to note that as of Monday morning I had officially lost over 50 pounds. (Don't get too excited, however. I still have another 100 to go.)

Back to the hotel gym. This is my first out of town trip since I started working out regularly, and so it is also my first experience with a hotel's in-house fitness center. First off, they charge me $10 each day to use the facility, which after yesterday afternoon means I've already racked up $20 in fees -- and the conference hasn't even started yet. What do I get for my $10? A gym with only 4 treadmills. Actually, make that 3 because one of them is out of order. I managed to snag one after waiting 5 minutes last night, but this morning I couldn't sit still long enough to wait, so I hit the stationary bike instead. Which of course means that my ass is killing me now. Honestly, who designed the seats for stationary bikes?

All whining aside, it's probably good that I did something other than walk. I've spent so much time on the treadmill the last few weeks that my legs probably needed some variety. And though I bitch about $10 fee, it's not as though I'm not going to pay it. Basic economics says that an appropriate price for a good or service is whatever the market will bear, and the market seems to be withstanding this one just fine.

The conference starts in 30 minutes, so I have a full day of seminars ahead of me on such wide ranging topics as web development and... web development. I am signed up to have dinner at a pizza place tonight. Our topic of discussion: wikis. (I can just sense the envy of my readers!)

Today's theme music: "Fitter Happier" by Radiohead

I'll try to post again tonight to discuss why my return to our nation's capital after 22 years has sparked memories of The Beach Boys.

I'm off to Washington, D.C., for the rest of the week to attend a tech conference. Sometimes timing is everything, and I'm glad for the opportunity to get away for a few days. Of course, just when I decide that leaving Vegas is a good thing, a substantial amount of snow gets dumped on top of all the nearby mountains, making for a breathtaking view out of the airport terminal windows. That's something I definitely won't see in D.C.

While I'm gone, I'll leave you with a movie quote to ponder. I've always been a huge fan of the movie "Swingers," but have thought that the character of Trent (Vince Vaughn) didn't have a single redeeming quality. I'm starting to realize, however, that though he may be a douche, he is very protective of his friend, Mike (Jon Favreau), and tells Mike on a regular basis exactly what he needs to hear to stop his own doubts from driving him mad. One of the things he tells him is:

I don't want you to be the guy in the PG-13 movie everyone's *really* hoping makes it happen. I want you to be like the guy in the rated R movie, you know, the guy you're not sure whether or not you like yet. You're not sure where he's coming from. Okay? You're a bad man.

I've always loved that quote because it's funny. But I never really got it, and I don't think the Mike character gets it at the time either. But it's starting to make sense to me now, and the more I think about it, the more I realize that it just provides further proof of how much Trent cares about Mike.

Funny where your mind drifts while waiting to board a plane.

Theme music for my trip: "The District Sleeps Alone" by The Postal Service

I'll try to post more from the conference.