Hi just letting you all know that HRC is opening in Phuket, Thailand in October '08.

HRC Phuket Facebook group: www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=9485961324

HRC Phuket Myspace group: http://www.myspace.com/hard_rock_cafe_phuket 

See you on one of these sites and please spread the word...

Love all...Serve all  

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Colombia: A Land of Danger?
By: Vince Wanner

When you announce you’re intention to visit Colombia, friends and loved ones become noticeably pale. Who could blame them? Its a country that has made quite a splash internationally with tales of violence and mayhem: illicit drug cartels, paramilitary groups, homicides, and kidnappings. Not exactly an ideal vacation destination. While I knew a lot of this information was outdated and sensationalized, I was still quite pleasantly surprised by what I experienced.

Downtown Bogotá

My first point of call was Bogotá. Situated on a plain between two mountain ranges, the metropolis is quite modern in the midst of its colonial elegance. Its a city at high altitude which gives it a very moderate climate, though that comes with a price. The air is noticeably thinner which meant I walked around in a daze at first. Sleep was also difficult to come by but after a couple of days, I had adjusted and everything was great. Frequent rainfalls keep the place looking remarkably clean and the modern Transmileno bus system puts large parts of the city are within easy reach. To quote a lady I met: “You just pick the right one and go Zoom Rapido!”

Bogotá HRC Entrance


The Hard Rock Café is in the northern part of the city, traditionally a more upscale part of town. The café occupies a corner of the Atlantis Plaza mall, and looks something like a colonial mansion. Two things I liked about this one were the patio dining area and the weekday lunch specials. Monday to Friday between 12 noon and 3:00, many of the menu items are available at half price which makes it a worthwhile stop if you happen to be in the area. The truth is Bogotá has no shortage of great and affordable places to eat and I was glad to see the HRC management adopting this typically Colombian practise.

Cartagena Puerta del Reloj


Cartagena de Indias is a colonial port town with a romantic sounding name. Historically, there has been a steady influx of foreigners passing through here and as a result, I found it to be less Colombian somehow. Indeed, there were many more outdoor restaurants and art galleries; and I even heard a bit of English spoken as well. There is no shortage of tourist-oriented activities but I found the best part of Cartagena was just wandering around the cobblestone streets enjoying the evening breeze. You really do want to wait for evening, however, because during the day there is no breeze and just sitting on a park bench for 15 minutes will leave you in a pool of sweat.

Cartagena HRC


There is no need to sweat at the Hard Rock Café, unless you want to. Many squares and plazas proliferate in the old town and the café is in one of the larger ones. It blends in so well with the surroundings that I actually walked right past the place before I noticed it. They had only been open for a couple of months when I visited and the pride and enthusiasm was self-evident. The Merch Shop is on the first floor, along with some special dining areas and function rooms. The main dining area is on the second floor and you have the option of the outdoor patio with a view of the square or staying indoors with the air conditioning. I chose option B.

Bogotá Plaza


Colombia is a beautiful country full of friendly people. You do have to speak some Spanish here because English speakers are rare to non-existent. The security situation has greatly improved from a few years ago and now its a pretty safe place to visit. As I was boarding the plane back to Bogotá, I saw the Colombian Tourist Board’s latest slogan - Colombia: The Only Danger is Never Wanting to Leave. That pretty much summed it up for me.

Vince Wanner 

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Hello everyone,

Another month has flown by and we have a new member on the group website. Everyone know Jeff Oxford? Huh, do you? Do you really? Check out some facts on the groups biggest soccer fan - http://www.hrcshots.com/news.htm

We're also just under 2 months away from the New Orleans Collectors Event in New Orleans - July 25 and 26, with a get together in Biloxi on July 27. Hope all of you are going through your extras and getting some donations together for the raffle/auction. This year, the Hard Rock Cafe is supporting a terrific charity - the Habitat for Humanity Musicians Village. For details on the charity and who to contact about your donations, go here: http://www.hrcshots.com/neworleansevent2008.htm

Latest page on the website - Buttons and Laminates from Shot Events, check it out here:

http://www.hrcshots.com/buttonlaminates.htm

Website maintenance - I've updated a bunch of lists with pictures. I'm still missing a lot so if anyone is able to provide the following, it would be appreciated.

Red Circle logo:

Bangalore

Houston

New Orleans

Oslo

San Juan Large Font

Beirut Mini Hurricane

Margarita Mini Hurricane

Narita, Tokyo Mini Hurricane

Ocho Rios Mini Hurricane

City Shots - missing just two... can anyone provide a picture or confirm the Sydney 2006 city shot (by owning it)? It's rumored to exist but... does it really? Anyone have a picture of the Osaka 2008?

Thanks for looking and again, if you have an idea for the website, send me an email.

Denise

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Hi Guys ,

From down under in Melbourne ,

I was on holiday in Australia's Top end and had my heart almost skip a beat when I saw this sign in a little and I do mean LITTLE town called "PINE CREEK" ,It is in the Kakadu area .

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On June 1st, I got on the express train for Nagoya at 8:00AM. Nagoya is not far from my town. It took only 2 hours, and I went to HRC Nagoya.

We held a Pin Party 2008 at HRC Nagoya. It was a Sunday, so total 18 collectors joined us.

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The Hard Rock Cafe Krakow is located in the center of Krakow in the middle of Main Market Square. The cafe, situated next to St. Mary’s Basilica, the most famous church in Poland, will boast European influence with modern rock 'n' roll style while showcasing the memorabilia of the world's greatest musical artists. With an outstanding menu of American favourites and Hard Rock's iconic merchandise in the Rock Shop, the Hard Rock Cafe Krakow is one place you don't want to miss!

The Hard Rock Cafe Krakow Rock Shop is now open and is located on the ground floor.

There are talks to have the cafe fully operating by March 2009.
 

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First off a big thanks to those of you that took the time to respond to my first article. The editors passed on your feed back and I think I have a couple good ideas.

For this issue's efforts I decided to go outside the box and look for a keyboard player. Yes there are many, at the same time I wanted to share the music that had a large appeal. Also tunes so familiar they've become timeless classics still played daily on the radio. I could have gone with Jon Lord of Deep Purple or Rick Wakeman and the list goes on but I settled on The Doors, Ray Manzarek.

His playing with The Doors made him one of the most influential rock keyboardists ever, raising the level of virtuosity a keyboardist is expected to have. The Doors didn't have a bassist, so Manzarek usually played the bass parts on a Fender Rhodes piano Bass. His signature sound is that of the Vox Continental organ, an instrument used by many other psychedelic rock bands of the era.

The three songs I selected for this issue are all have prominent keys and I'm sure most of you know them all. Still great to see them live with Jim Morrison fronting the band.

"Love Me Two Times" is a well-known song by The Doors. It was written by guitarist Robby Krieger and first appeared on the 1967 album Strange Days. Manzarek played the final version of this song on a clavinet (the modern-day version of a clavichord), not a harpsichord.
Apparently, "Love Me Two Times" was considered very risque for radio airplay. According to band members, the song was about a soldier/sailor on his last day with his girlfriend before shipping out, ostensibly to war (Vietnam)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_G8DCFJ4vr4&feature=related

"Roadhouse Blues" is a blues-rock song written and recorded by The Doors. The song was first released as a single from the album Morrison Hotel in March 1970, it also became a concert staple for the group.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHUcJ3SA8xM&feature=related

"Light My Fire", no introduction needed here if you've never heard this then your a hermit . The version I came up with is from 1968 at the Hollywood Bowl. The first verse of the song was written by Robby Krieger. The second verse was written by Jim Morrison.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiOGm6Z9OzY&feature=related

Let The Music Live On !!!
Trevor

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Next meeting of the Motor City Pin Maniacs: Sunday June 22th @ 10am
Monday June 23rd @ 6:00 til 8:00pm the cafe is also providing complimentary appetizers and drink specials.

Latest Pin Releases: Race For A Cure.

Till Next Time
Paul

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