Electric Lady Sound Studio
52 W. 8th Street
New York, NY

Located in the north part of Greenwich Village in NYC, this is the same studio that was originally built and financed by the late Jimi Hendrix. Technically, it was Jimi's manager had the studio built, because Jimi was spending so much money in other studios. Unfortunately, Jimi never lived to record here, but the studio was finished despite his untimely death and it has the distinction of being the recording studio to many major recording artists such as Led Zeppelin, KISS, Lenny Kravitz and more. Contrary to popular assumption, Jimi's studio album, Electric Ladyland, was NOT recorded here. It was recorded at The Record Plant in NY.

Hotel Delmonico
502 Park Avenue
New York, NY

The Hotel Delmonico is famous for it's fabled restaurant, but what interested me was the fact that the Hotel Delmonico was where Bob Dylan supposedly introduced four young lads from Liverpool to marijuana...and The Beatles were never the same again. This hotel was purchased by Donald Trump and converted to luxury condominums. It no longer operates as a hotel.

Virgin Records Times Square
New York, NY

Whatever music you are looking for this place probably has it. Whatever movie you are looking for, this place probably has it. In the mood for loud chaos? This place probably has that too.

Well it was a cool place to visit. Now it is closed.

Terra Blues
New York, NY

Believe it or not, Terra Blues is the only 100% pure Blues Bar in all of Manhattan. They don't book any other kind of music here.

63 Bank Street
New York, NY

Shortly after Nancy Spungen died at the Chelsea Hotel, Sid Vicious made bail and died of an overdose at this New York apartment.

Washington Square Park
New York, NY

During his post Van Halen solo career, David Lee Roth got busted here for buying a small bag of weed from an undercover cop.

Village Vanguard
New York, NY

The Village Vanguard is an age old tradition in NY jazz clubs. The Vanguard has played home to many popular live recordings, such as Kenny Burrell, Sonny Rollins, Phil Woods, Bill Evans and many more.

Hard Rock Cafe
W. 57th Street
New York, NY (closed/moved)

This was the first Hard Rock I ever visited and therefore my favorite. I liked it best before they remodeled and expanded the dining room. The old layout was cozier and jam packed with the best collection of stuff. I especially liked the bulkhead above the kitchen that had a bass drum from Ringo Starr, flanked by a who's whose collection of guitars on either side. They included Joe Walsh, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and others. There was a 5150 Van Halen guitar in the corner, near a Billy Joel keyboard. The steps up to the upstairs bar had lawn ornament size statuettes of the Statue of Liberty on the end of each step. Although the location remained the same, the next phase was a sizable expansion of space in the dining room. At this point, some of the classic memorabilia was moved or removed. It seemed like there were more gold records on the wall than classic instruments.

Hard Rock Cafe
Broadway
New York, NY

The NY Hard Rock is relocated to it's new home in the center of Times Square. The hustle and bustle of the streets, nearby broadway shows, MTV studios, and other broadcasting venues probably adds to their cash register. The walk-in merchandise store is quite large.

Hard Rock Cafe
Niagara Falls, NY

It's an interesting geographic location to be able to have 2 Hard Rock Cafes so close to each other, yet in different countries. Each is within a 10 minute walk of the other, assuming you have a passport handy. The New York side of Niagara Falls is sordid and seedy. The Ontario side of the falls is shamelessly over populated with touristy side shows, although clean and well kept. I preferred the Canadian side and I preferred the Niagara Canadian Hard Rock versus it's US sister store.

Stone Pony
Asbury Park, NJ

The Stone Pony has a rich heritage as one of the clubs where Bruce Springsteen played starting out and he's played there a few times since becoming a successful recording artist as well. It's a club circuit hot spot, having been a springboard for fellow Jersey rocker, Jon Bon Jovi. Many other acts have called the Stone Pony home over the years.

Hard Rock Cafe
Baltimore, MD

Downtown Baltimore has become a bit of a tourist destination and nightspot for the city. It boasts an aquarium, bars, restaurants, and shopping along the bay. Camden Yard is not far away. The area has several new and renovated buildings around the former power plant, among which the HRC calls home. It's a large cafe with both indoor and outdoor seating, weather permitting of course.

Hard Rock Cafe
Philadelphia, PA

The interior of the Philly HRC rivals the old New York location on West 57th in my opinion. They have lots of great memorabilia and the collection well balanced among the types of items they have and which artists they represent. I did find a memorabilia goof on a wall near my table. It was an electronic drum head from former KISS drummer Peter Criss. The brass plaque below the framed drum head reads, PETER KRISS. C'mon HRC, do your homework! The woodwork inside also rivals the old NY location. As for Philadelphia itself, you couldn't pay me to go back.

Hard Rock Cafe
Pittsburgh, PA

Pittsburgh has a great shopping, dining and entertainment complex along the river, with a beautiful view of the city. It is here that the Pittsburgh Hard Rock is located. It ranks among my favorite Hard Rock Cafes because the collection of memorabilia is outstanding, the interior is nicely appointed and the staff is friendlier than most.

Hard Rock Cafe
Atlanta, GA

It's been a long time since I was last in this one, but I made a special plan to stop here on my way back north from Florida. I had everything planned out to get there a little before lunch. The directions I had were not the best and I ended up lostby myself driving in Atlanta, not a good situation. I eventually found my way, but lost almost two hours doing it.

Hard Rock Cafe
Orlando, FL

It's difficult to critcize the Orlando Hard Rock Cafe. It's big, it has a Live venue and it's located in the Universal City Walk area, which is teeming with scads of themed bars and restaurants and other night spots.

Hard Rock Cafe
Ft Lauderdale/Sunrise (closed/moved)

The Sawgrass Mills Mall outside Ft. Lauderdale Florida played home to the original Ft Lauderdale HRC. It's an enormous outdoor mall and shopping destination. Technically, the mall is located in Sunrise, FL, not Ft Lauderdale. Some of the merchandise from this location listed the Sunrise name. Supposedly, this location was moved to merge into the HR Hotel in Hollywood, FL.

Hard Rock Vault
Orlando, FL (closed)

I never understood how the top brass at the Hard Rock could have figured the Vault to work as a viable destination. The concept seemed to be along the lines of a Rock 'N' Roll museum, not unlike the Hall Of Fame in Cleveland. The problem though for many HRC enthusiasts: Why should I pay $15 to see a collection of junk I can see at any of your Cafes for free? Apparently this was the prevailing attitude, as the Vault is now closed and the collection can be viewed on-line...for free. By all accounts, it was one of many failed tourist traps in Orlando.

Hard Rock Outlet
Orlando, FL

What happens to the HRC merchandise that sells through slowly? Well it ends up at the official Hard Rock Cafe Outlet Store in Orlando! Prices are true outlet pricing too. Pick up items from closed Hard Rock Cafes, get deals on out of season apparel and other great stuff...that didn't sell.

Hard Rock Cafe
Miami, FL

It's been awhile since I went to this one, but from what I recall, you have to walk through this ridiculous flea market of junk stores to get to the Miami HRC. That alone creates a bad first impression in my book.

Hard Rock Cafe
Key West, FL

The Key West HRC looks like a typical Keys/Plantation style architecture. So much so in fact that it blends right in. In a town like Key West, the HRC is probably one of the more tame places you can go to find a good time.

Hard Rock Hotel/Casino
Tampa/Seminole, FL

This location barely deserves the right to hang a Hard Rock logo on the door. Unlike the Las Vegas Hotel/Casino, which is packed with artist related memorabilia and decor, the Seminole casino is sparsely adorned with memorabilia and most of that is incorrectly labeled. The casino gaming isn't all that entertaining, as the payouts seem to be rare.

Hard Rock Cafe
Nashville, TN

Known for it's country music heritage, Nashville is not without its own HRC. Hey where would RnR be without C&W?

Hard Rock Cafe
Louisville, KY

Louisville boasts a fabulous dining and entertainment destination in the downtown area.

Dick Clark's American Bandstand
Indianapolis, IN (closed)

In the early 90's Dick Clark's American Bandstand Restaurant opened on Indianapolis' north side at Keystone At The Crossing. At that time, the city didn't have a Hard Rock Cafe, so AB was a welcome attraction. It was based on a similar concept of good food and interesting music memorabilia. Just inside the door, they had guitars from Paul Stanley of KISS and one signed by all the members of Pink Floyd. Another interesting piece was a mic used by Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin. The menu wasn't half bad, but the service was typically rotten. The bar and dance club were separate from the restaurant. It was known a sa singles joint and a smokey one at that. American Bandstand was a novelty that soon ran it's course and the building was eventually demolished. Magianno's Italian iss now built on the same lot.

Hard Rock Cafe
Indianapolis, IN

Indianapolis has a tremendous amount of convention traffic, which probably helps this HR stay afloat. When the cafe opened, the memorabilia collection was great for a cafe of this size. Since then, the collection has been swapped out and to me is of lesser interest than before.

Hard Rock Cafe
Chicago, IL

The HRC Chicago is downtown, as it should be. Just a short hop over from Michigan Ave at Clark and Ontario.

Hard Rock Cafe
Lake Tahoe, NV

One of the few vestiges free from smoke in Harrah's Casino in Lake Tahoe, the HR here has a log cabin feel inside. It appears as though some of the lodge-like atmosphere was borrowed from the now defunct Aspen HRC.

Hard Rock Cafe
Las Vegas, NV

This is one of my favorite HRC in the world and I like it because the signage captures a little bit of old Vegas and with the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino right behind it, there's plenty of memorabilia to keep you busy for a day or two.

Hard Rock Hotel/Casino
Las Vegas, NV

The Cleveland Hard Rock is not one of my favorite HRC's in the world. For the visitor, it's a little bit difficult to get to and parking is tricky.

Hard Rock Cafe
San Diego, CA

The original San Diego HRC was located in La Jolla, a high rent shopping district outside San Diego. This is the current San Diego HRC in the gaslight district downtown.

Hard Rock Cafe
La Jolla, CA (closed)

The La Jolla HRC was originally the San Diego HRC until a new San Diego HRC was opened in the gaslight district of downtown San Diego. Once that was completed, downtown became home to the San Diego HRC and the old location in La Jolla was named the La Jolla HRC. Dizzy yet?

Hard Rock Cafe
Newport Beach, CA (closed)

The Newport Beach Hard Rock Cafe recently closed. It was located in a fashion mall type retail area.

Hard Rock Cafe
Universal Studios
Hollywood, CA

Like it's Floridian counterpart, this HRC is located in the City Walk portion of Universal Studios.

Hard Rock Cafe
Los Angeles, CA

Los Angeles and Beverly Hills seems like an odd place to need to close a Hard Rock Cafe, but this one goes in the history books.

John Lee Hooker's Boom Boom Room
San Francisco, CA

Located near the Fillmore, this iconic San Francisco blues club plays host to live blues daily and nightly. Stop in for a cocktail and some authentic live blues. We enjoyed listening to Blues Fuse on the particular affternoon that we dropped in.

Hard Rock Cafe
San Francisco, CA (closed/moved)

This was a very odd location for the HRC in San Francisco. It wasn't really located near anything. From Nob Hill or Union Square, it was a trolly ride. From Fisherman's Wharf, it was a cab or a trolly ride. It's easy to see why they closed this location and moved it to Fisherman's Wharf though.

Hard Rock Cafe
Aspen, CO (closed)

I never really understood how an Aspen Hard Rock Cafe could operate and turn a profit throughout the year. It was certainly one of the smallest in terms of square footage, but very cozy and lodgy inside. I think the lighting fixtures relocated to the Lake Tahoe HRC.

Hard Rock Cafe
Camelback
Phoenix, AZ (closed/moved)

This HRC was located in a high rent retail district of Phoenix/Scottsdale. It was probably classier, at least from the curb, than the new location across from Diamondback Stadium, but the new location probably draws more customers.

Hard Rock Cafe
Downtown
Phoenix, AZ

Compared to the previous location on Camelback, this one is rather dull.

Hard Rock Cafe

Cleveland, OH
The Cleveland Hard Rock is not one of my favorite HRC's in the world. For the visitor, it's a little bit difficult to get to and parking is tricky.

Hard Rock Cafe
Cabo San Lucas
Baja, Mexico
Cabo is loaded full of drinking establishments and restaurants, most with storied histories. It's beginning to have it's share of corporate chains as well, such as Harley Davidson Cafe, Coyote Ugly and others. So despite having a longer history here, the Hard Rock Cafe may be among the more tame places to stop in for a drink. It's well equipped with ample memorabilia for your dining pleasure.

Hard Rock Cafe

Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico
We traveled to Mexico and stayed in nearby Nuevo Vallarta. August is not a pleasant time to visit this region. The temperature and humidity are truly unbearable. For most of the trip, I stayed in the pool up to my neck with a cocktail at all times to stay cool. At my insistance, we braved the heat and cabbed into town to visit the small Hard Rock there. Beware, the place is surrounded by time-share representatives who are more irratating than a bad case of sand fleas.