Myrtle Beach Hard Rock a Trip Down Memory Lane

I pass the familiar pyramid every day, and it's a neat reminder of my very first trip to Myrtle Beach in 1996. The Hard Rock Café Myrtle Beach was the first stop on the first vacation together for me and my wife. I remember posing for pictures together aboard the Harley parked out front, and enjoying a relaxing meal in a cool setting.

In the 11 years since, maybe it was simply a "been there, done that" thing that kept me from returning. I live here now - let the tourists enjoy it, I thought. That all changed last week as I drove by, and my two oldest boys laid the obligatory guilt trip from the back seat.

"Daddy, when are you going to take us to the pyramid?" Christian asked me.

Timing is everything, and at that point I had no good reason to put it off any longer. We turned right, parked the car, and the first thing on the boys' minds was hopping aboard the Harley (pictured). I didn't need an insurance commercial to remind me that "life comes at you fast."

We walked in the front door, greeted by the café's ornate, three story-high Egyptian glass mural on the opposite side. The Hard Rock marketing folks tell me I'm supposed to "feel the healing power" of HRC's only pyramid-shaped café in the world, or maybe "Walk Like an Egyptian" when I see the mural. Somewhere, Susanna Hoffs is smiling.

We were ushered to our table, placed our orders, and took the waiter up on his suggestion to look around and check out the sights while we wait. More than other pop culture exhibits and museums, I'm especially drawn by music memorabilia for a very simple reason: no matter what I've done or where I've been in my life, music tends to leave an indelible imprint on my most vivid memories.

For me, it's a different kind of Rorschach test. See Eric Clapton's Fender Stratocaster, and immediately think of "Change The World" playing in the background the time I had the enormous Central Park ice skating rink all to myself. Joan Jett's pants? Saw a great club concert of hers back in '97. Jimmy Buffett stuff? The lawn concert at Southampton College around the same time - a 1,000-person conga line with more, uh, "free-spirited" folks than a Cheech & Chong convention (and no, I wasn't among the "free-spirited"!).

Time to eat. I've been to other Hard Rock cafes in Phoenix, New York and Montreal over the past two decades, and this sit-down at the Myrtle Beach café reminded me of the other reason why it's the only celebrity-themed concept where I've bothered to return. Each time I've gone, the food has been very, very good, and reasonably priced.

I ordered the hickory smoked pulled-pork sandwich, and was not disappointed with the waiter's suggestion to go with the vinegar-based option. It tasted great, and the amount of meat on the bun was enough to feed a small army. My boys each ordered the burger and chicken tenders off the kids' menu, and I was especially surprised by the chicken - sizable portion, very juicy and a crisp, flaky crust that almost made me wish I'd ordered that instead. I barely flinched at the $26 tab for the meals and soft drinks; by the time we finished, we were all full and completely satisfied. All the while, an eclectic mix of videos played on the television screens as War, James Brown, Midnight Oil, Sheryl Crow, Nine Inch Nails and Franz Ferdinand took us through four decades of musical memories.

The boys wouldn't let us leave without me promising I'd bring them back. Sure thing, I told them, safe in the knowledge that if they ever forget to remind me, one look at their Harley picture will do the trick.

Categories

Visitor Info   Restaurant Reviews   Myrtle Beach Area   Music   Entertainment   Blog   Family attractions