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The new Hard Rock Cafe on the Vegas Strip opened two weeks ago, and after months of passing it by while it was under construction, it was finally time to get a glimpse of the Boulevard’s newest attraction.

I got off the train at the MGM, wound my way through the casino, headed north on the sidewalk, and when I got to the Cafe I was immediately stopped at the door by a nice looking young lady.

“Welcome!  Can I help you with anything?”, she asked.

“This is my first time here”, I said, “I just came to check the place out.”

“Fantastic!” said the lady, “We’re glad to have you here, be sure to take plenty of photographs!”

Wow.  Try getting that reception anyplace else in Las Vegas without dropping 500g’s first.  I know the place is new, and this is probably as good as service will ever get, but still … I was slightly confused by this lost concept known as “politeness”.

The ambassador went on to give me a quick verbal lay of the land and then sent me on my way.

Once inside, every person in a Hard Rock shirt either smiled or asked if they could help me.  These are, without a doubt, the friendliest employees in Las Vegas.  I wish they would open a casino somewhere because, wait, never mind.

Okay, in all fairness, aside from the cab hustlers and one security dips**t, I have never had a problem with Hard Rock Casino employees.  The nugget factor can be a bit insufferable at times, but the property itself has always been solid.

Speaking of … it was early, but the clientele at the Strip Hard Rock Cafe on Friday afternoon was composed of far more “average” people, and twenty-something nugs with bedhead carefully plastered in place by mousse were few and far between.

The Cafe is a tri-level establishment with a store on the first floor, and a bar, restaurant, and live music venue on the upper floors.  Floors two and three have semi-private lounges near the windows, and they also have outdoor balconies that face Las Vegas Boulevard.

Shortly after taking the rather long escalator ride up (there is also an elevator), I finally got some hands-on time with the much-anticipated-by-geeks “interactive wall” and I have to say that it’s quite cool.

The “wall” contains a digital catalog of items currently or formerly on display in Hard Rock Cafes around the world.

The screen uses Multi-Touch gestures similar to that on an Apple trackpad to make images smaller or larger and to scroll.  If you want to see more information about an item, you press a small “i” button, and when you are finished you press “x” to close it and throw it back into the swirling screen rotation.

Much like latent homosexuality, every Apple user on the planet will be very familiar with the navigation of this wall.

I give Apple users a lot of grief, but only because of the whole “familiarity breeds contempt” thing.  I’m one of them.  I happened to have my trusty Macbook Pro with me at the Hard Rock, I am typing this on a 24” iMac, and I would rather eat my own crap than use Windows.

Douchebag, heal thyself.

Anyway, the wall is a very interesting concept, and I have to give much respect to the person/persons who created it.

I spent a solid 20 minutes browsing items because a computerized music museum on a giant touch screen is not something I encounter every day.  It’s a bit addictive.  The efficiency of this system allows far more items to be displayed, albeit virtually, than would it in any specific Hard Rock location.

After playing with the wall, I toured the rest of the property, ordered a drink, hung out in one of the lounges (which makes for a perfect place to work with a laptop), and spoke with a couple of employees.

Given the ample number of photos in this article I won’t try to describe everything in detail, but suffice to say that this establishment was very well thought-out.  It has plenty of open areas, and is much larger inside than it looks from the outside.

Overall, I got a very positive vibe from the Hard Rock in the roughly hour and a half I spent hanging out.  I am probably the most anti-social person on the planet, but even so, I do plan on spending some social time here in the near future.  I especially look forward to returning in the evening since that will undoubtedly be when the place truly shines.

I was a bit skeptical when I first learned that a Hard Rock Cafe would be opened on The Strip, but they honestly could not have executed it better.  It’s a quick walk from the sidewalk to the action, and you don’t have to navigate through a large casino to get in and out.  It’s also going to be one block from City Center.

Transit-wise … it’s near a Deuce stop, it’s an easy walk from the MGM Monorail stop, and there is ample parking in the MGM self-park or valet.  There is an alley shortcut from the MGM garage/Monorail to the Cafe for the initiated, but the 10 minute walk through the casino won’t kill anyone but the laziest of Oprah-watching Americans.

On the way out, I was stopped by the same lady who greeted me earlier, and she asked me if I needed anything else.

I was tempted to ask if I could get drugs and hookers, but I exercised restraint.  I’m not sure if that wound is healed yet.

If they can keep up the attitude, book a few solid gigs, and just do what they do that makes the other cafes so successful … I can honestly see the Hard Rock Cafe become The go-to casual group meeting spot on The Strip.

I walked into the establishment with indifference and an expectation to be underwhelmed, and I walked out a fan.  As long as service levels remain high and I don’t have to suffer through another fratboy rendition of “In Bloom”, I just might remain one.

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