A Rich Perspective - Filed under 'Hard Rock Cafe'

Vacation 2009: Day Three 5:55pm

Hard Rock Cafe - Beatles Collection

My daughter and son were walking around the Hard Rock Cafe in Orlando as we waited for our food to arrive. Joey, the GMD, found them and asked them about their favorite band. My daughter replied, "Personally, I'm a fan of the Beatles." (I could weep with joy.) Joey said, "Smart kids!" and then offered them a VIP tour of the private Beatles collection at the Hard Rock.

We saw some very cool things, including some original lyrics handwritten by Paul McCartney, some original John Lennon sketches, John and Yoko's marriage certificate, and an autographed BOAC menu that the Fab Four had signed when they boarded the plane to America. One of the highlights was a proof of the original hand-drawn poster by Klaus Voormann for the Revolver album cover. The kicker is that it was signed by George Martin.

The tour culminated with a visit to the replica of John and Yoko's NYC apartment, the Dakota. We saw some of John's original art, some wooden statues that he brought back from India, and the couch where he sat to write many of his tunes.

My daughter and son were absolutely enthralled by this visit.