eat at a Hard Rock Cafe

In my travel journal to the wonderful cheeseburger I had while at the Hard Rock Cafe in Athens. Now this could very well be because it was one of the last days of my trip and I had been eating pretty sparsely due to short funds but really…that was a damn good cheeseburger.

Most of group went to a Three Tenors-like dinner with a show and drinks and food but I’m happy with my little Hard Rock Cafe experience- and I’m especially proud for figuring out how to get there on the Metro!

I’ve also been to Hard Rock Cafe Minneapolis and Hard Rock Cafe Rome.

A few different times, in a few different places. I remember eating at the one in Orlando, by Universal Studios. We just missed Fall Out Boy performing, I think it was the night before we were there. I was bummed! haha. But Hard Rock is a cool place with good food! I want to eat at the one in Mertile Beach, I heard it’s shaped like a pyramid? Sounds cool.

I’ve done this a few times. First in North Carolina, then Tennessee, Canada, and Portugal. Can’t say any of them were memorable.

I went here last night and had some great macaroni and chicken…mmm…great environment as well. Loved all the music memorabilia they have all over the place. Plenty of things I wanted to smuggle home with me…including a signed guitar by Green Day

for mediocore food.

The portions are big, but they are still overpriced. Still, I seem to end up there every time I go to Universal.

It is what it is.
I remember being a kid and McDonald’s was a treat. Now, not-so-much
I remember being a teen and thinking Red Lobster was stylish dining. Ugh!
I remember when Hard Rock was still a new concept and most people were still enthusiastic about it. I never understood the whole thing with that, and really never went until I stayed at the Hard Rock Hotel on my Honeymoon. Loved it, had a suite with a kitchen and pool view, 24 hour Woodstock on the tube, Jimmy Hendrix Framed above the bed. I’m not personally a big fan of franchises in general, but I’m not a hostile anti-franchise person either, you like what you like. I like the atmosphere of the Hard Rock Cafe in Key West, and I like the Las Vegas Hard Rock Resort and Casino, I like the one in Hollywood Florida except the Casino doesn’t have Blackjack, (my game), or Roullette, which are the only two games I play.

They’re a little cheesy, heavy on the merchandising, sure, but what’s wrong with a little Rock and Roll cheese? Suspend your ‘tude and have a good time.
Is it worth it? That’s the question in this venue, a question I find difficult to say no to in regards to just about any of the places I’ve listed, with a couple of exceptions due mainly to factors of safety. Sometimes the worth is in discovery, even if you discover that it’s not your thing, or not really your kind of place. How are you really going to know without going?

IF YOU GO:
Go to one with live music. Hard Rock Live could be in any of these places: Lisbon, Moscow, San Diego, Melbourne, Orlando, Warsaw, Cleveland, Chicago, Sacramento, Madrid, Philly, Mumbai, San Juan, D.C., Boston, Edinburgh….and there’s 6 Pages of them listed @ http://www.hardrock.com/music/globalevents.asp.
Best to go when there’s a band you like playing. Seminole Hard Rock Resort and Casino’s Hard Rock Live has in the next few weeks has: Joe Walsh, Macy Gray, Cathy Griffin, The Doobie Brothers, Frampton, America, the Neville Brothers and several more contemporary artists that you may be more familiar with than me. It’s pricey, ($77, $62, $47), and Drinks and Food aren’t cheap but it’s all in the planning, and as is the case for most events, in the company you keep. Most who think Hard Rock is lame probably went the night before or the night after, but if you catch the right night and aren’t afraid to part with a sizeable chunk of cash, you WILL have fun, and will no doubt think that it was worth it.

Wherever you are, there are always better places to eat and more interesting things to see.

All I remember about it (was forever ago) is standing in line a long time to finally squash into a booth in an insanely crowded restaurant so noisy it was impossible to hear anyone talk, so spent the entire time gazing at autographed memorabilia on the walls. But if you like that sort of thing, why not? I was going to say it was a forgettable experience; however, I seem to have proven that untrue, so… :)

I ate at the Hard Rock. I think I was mesmorized.