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And so, today was my first day at the Rock Shop, at the Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square.

Very cool day.

For starters, I absolutely love the job. Today, I was paid $9.50 an hour to stand there, smile, fold clothes every now and then, and talk to people. I don’t know if the job will remain this easy… but it was just like Starbucks without having to make people coffee every five seconds, or take money directly from them.

I got three free shirts today, as well… and three free Hard Rock pins as well (one of which was apparently designed by my manager — yeah, that’s a perk of working for this place… you can send in designs for pins throughout the year).

I got to go out on the marquee of the old Paramount Theatre today and overlook Times Square. Pretty damn cool.

I also go to check in on the progress of the construction downstairs on the resaturant itself. Now, I’ve been in this restaurant several times before, when it was known as WWF New York… and I’ve got to say… the Hard Rock is going to be amazing. It’s the same structural layout, pretty much (with a new bar where restaurant seating used to be)… but it looks a million times nicer than before.

I never realized how big the building was. I got to go backstage to all the green rooms, which are being renovated for future musical guests (yes, the stage will now accomodate musical performances), and I saw the ‘exclusive party room’… which is also pretty damn cool.

The one thing I’ll say, though, is that not much of the Hard Rock rock n’ roll memorabilia is in place downstairs yet. The cases are ready for them, but they’re not moving most of the stuff until construction’s complete.

However… there is one particularly large piece of musical history in place downstairs, because it was part of the construction.

That’s right. I have touched the doors (and now, walked through the doors) that were the main entrance of the Abbey Road recording studios, where The Beatles recorded back in the day.

It was a good day folks. Good day.