New York-New York

* 2008 - Current
* 1997 - 2006

> ***"A New York frame of mind."***
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New York-New York is a New York City-themed hotel and casino located next to the Excalibur and Park MGM on the left side of the Strip in Paradise, Nevada. The hotel is owned by MGM Resorts International and opened in 1997.

The hotel and casino is the home of multiple iconic attractions and shows. One of them being the Big Apple (formerly the Manhattan Express), a roller-coaster that wraps around the entire building. It's only show currently is Cirque du Soleil's "Mad Apple", which took the place of Zumanity, which was one Cirque du Soleil's only 18+ show from 2003 to 2020. The casino also includes an arcade, as well as several restaurants such as Nine Fine Irishmen, America, and Gonzales Y Gonzales.

New York-New York is well-known for it's incredibly heavy use of theming, that being based off of New York City in the 1930s to 1940s. It's hotel tower is a mashup of various iconic buildings found in the city it's designed after, including the Chrysler Building and the Empire State Building. Even the inside of the casino area resembles a bustling city, with various areas even being designed after different parts of New York, such as Times Square and Greenwich Village. Outside, a miniature version of the Statue of Liberty and the Brooklyn Bridge can be seen and are both considered popular landmarks on the Las Vegas Strip.

## History

### **Construction**

Ever since the opening of the Excalibur, Luxor, and MGM Grand opened in the early 1990s, the south end of the Las Vegas Strip has always been considered a prime spot for new successful properties. Between the Luxor and the Monte Carlo was were two motels: A Rodeway Inn that opened in 1964, and Mel D. Close's Lone Palm Motel, opening in 1953. Also on the property were two gas stations: one owned by Husky Energy, and another one by the Chevron Corporation.

In 1992, the head president of Primadonna Resorts at the time, Gary Primm, approached the idea of a resort and casino with a New York skyline theme to MGM Mirage (Later MGM Resorts International in 2010). Construction officially began on March of 1995. The hotel and casino, officially named "New York-New York" was planned to be the tallest hotel and casino on the Las Vegas Strip at the time.

During construction, it was told by the employees of Primadonna Resorts that the new hotel would contain a rollercoaster named the "Manhattan Express", which would contain a heartline twist and a dive maneuver that would be similar to what a pilot experiences during a barrel roll.

### **Opening**

New York-New York opened on January 3, 1997 after $460 million of construction progress. The hotel opened with the Big Apple, which at the time was called the Manhattan Express. Guest stars included Wayne Newton and others.

Opening with New York-New York came the 700-seat Motown Cafe, first debuting with Hollywood stars such as Paula Adbul, Sinbad, Howie Mandell, Steve Guttenberg and David Hasselhoff. The restaurant featured statues of Motown singers and videos displayed on large-screen TVs.

Motown officially closed on October 21, 2000 after just a three-year run due to a decline in employees and popularity. During it's first year of opening, the restaurant employed approximately 150 people, but by it's third year, it only employed 100 people. MGM Mirage, a partner with the property at the time, purchased the remaining investors of the restaurant after it's closure.

Despite the closure of the cafe, sudden rumors quickly spread around the city that the Walt Disney Corporation had bought out the property and would be implementing an ESPN Zone inside. It later turned out to be true, as in 1998, Walt Disney opened the sports-themed ESPN Zone inside of where the Motown Cafe was, the seventh in the U.S. The large restaurant included an array of sporting events played out on multiple big-screen TVs and a large variety of foods.

### **Ownership Under MGM Resorts**

MGM Grand Inc. later bought Primadonna Resorts on November of 1998 for $267.2 million in stock. The company now had full ownership of New York-New York and it's other flagship property, the MGM Grand.

New York-New York sued 14 contractors and subcontractors on November of 2000 due to a claim by the hotel and casino stating that they failed to make their own hotel compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

On December 31, 2001, a fence filled with more than sixty T-shirts were hung up in front of the casino. The T-Shirts, described as a shrine, were made to promote the firefighters who died during the September 11 attacks in New York City, New York. This shrine would be a precursor to the hotel and casino's 9/11 memorial, which would appear two years later.

On June of 2002, MGM Mirage announced that the hotel and casino would be the home of a new adult-themed Cirque du Soleil show on July of 2003 inside the Broadway Theatre. The new show would be named "Zumanity" and had it's first show on Septemer 20, 2003. This was the first show Cirque du Soleil has made for 18+ guests only, mostly due to the elements of sexuality. The theatre was then renamed to the “Zumanity Theatre”

In March of 2003, New York-New York unveiled a tribute to the tragic terrorist attacks that took place on the World Trade Center's Twin Towers in the city of New York on September 11, 2001. The tribute consisted of a granite wall with 20 boxes of mementos, with brass plates that had quotations from figures such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nelson Mandela, and Eleanor Roosevelt, all located near the lake that included the Statue of Liberty. The tribute had no unveiling or fanfare, and the hotel declined the total cost of the addition.

On July of 2007, 53 year-old Steven Zegrean was caught in a shootout at the hotel's casino. The suspect injured a total of four people using a 9 mm semi-automatic pistol. During the shootout, an Army National Guardsman from North Dakota by the name of Justin Lampert, jumped onto Zegrean's back and wrestled him to the floor. By Oct 19, 2009, a judge in court convicted the shooter on 51 of 52 charges, such as battery with a deadly weapon and attempted murder.

During the late 2000s, MGM Mirage would slowly begin de-theming certain parts of the resort to distance itself from Las Vegas's family friendly era from when it first opened in 1997. The hotel's carpeting, originally meant to revoke multicolored New York City buildings, were replaced with flower-like designs. The gaming pits and casino were re-done, the resort's Big Apple Bar was replaced with a new high-limit area, and the main cage was replaced with a Center Bar. The Brooklyn Bridge was also changed, removing the lake that was originally under it and flattening the bridge’s platform.

New York-New York filed a lawsuit for an alleged copyright infringement on a California native on November of 2009. The man, named Ronnie Katzin in Tarzana, California, had his own website that contained the phrase "New York New York". According to the owner of the hotel and casino at the time, MGM Mirage stated that using the phrase infringes on the property's trademark which covered it's name. According to the lawsuit, when users clicked on an advertisement for New York-New York, they were redirected to Katzin's website and not the official one.

On June of 2010, after more than a decade of being in business, the Walt Disney Corporation announced that the ESPN Zone inside the hotel and casino, along with multiple locations outside of Las Vegas would be closing for good.

MGM Mirage was renamed to MGM Resorts International on June 15, 2010 to emphasize the corporation's global scope and increased non-gaming strategy.

In 2011, it was discovered that the Statue of Liberty used in the famous U.S. Liberty Forever stamp (Ones issued on December of 2010) was actually the one outside of New York-New York, despite the U.S. Postal Service saying that it was the real one. Quick action was taken for the damages, and $3.5 million was given to Robert Davidson, the person who built the hotel and casino's replica.

On June of 2013, it was announced by the Hershey company that they would be adding one of the few "Herhsey's Chocolate Worlds" to New York-New York. Details of the new store included two floors, an eye-catching 70-foot facade, and will feature multiple Hershey-related structures across the entire property. The new store would be competing the nearby M&M's World at the Showcase Plaza, which opened nearly 20 years before the announcement.

The hotel and casino's flagship Swatch store opened on March 15, 2014 as a grand opening dance party that began with live music on the hotel's Brooklyn bridge, provided by Brooklyn-based DJ, Jonny Santos. Along with him came the Knucklehead dance team of New York City hyping up the crowd, along with the Swatch Minutemen. Inside the store contained different activities such as a magician, a juggler, and quote unquote, "dancing popcorn". The party ended at 8 P.M. with guests entering a contest for a chance to win a variety of prizes that were inclusive of Swatch gear. This included tickets to New York-New York's Big Apple roller coaster, tickets to Zumanity, and a getaway package to a night at the hotel and casino.

New York-New York, on January 17, 2018, announced that the hotel's Big Apple rollercoaster would be debuting a whole new feature to the ride. "The Big Apple Virtual Reality Experience" planned to be debuting on February 7, 2018, turning the roller coaster into a new VR experience. This feature was optional, and only costed two more dollars than the regular cost of the coaster.

On June 26, 2018, the resort's Statue of Liberty was adorned with a 75-foot jersey of the Las Vegas Aces. This shirt took over 250 hours to make. It was removed later on.

On March 3, 2019, New York-New York began to celebrate St. Patrick's day by hosting the 10th annual St. Baldrick's Day, an event that people participate by shaving their heads to promote bald-headed people. The event ran from 10 A.M. to 9 P.M. with Golden Knights announcers Big D and Mark Shunok, along with local celebrities and took place on the hotel and casino's Brooklyn Bridge.

## Thematic Influence

New York-New York's architecture is heavily based off of multiple parts of the city of New York or more specifically the New York City skyline in the 1940s, both inside and outside. Despite being de-themed in the mid-2000s, it is still one of the most heavily themed casinos in the Las Vegas Valley.

The exterior has scale models of famous and infamous buildings throughout the city of New York, such as the Chrysler Building, 55 Water Street, the Lever House Soap Company, the CBS Building, the Empire State Building, and of course, the Statue of Liberty. Other instances of heavy theming includes the Brooklyn Bridge, located on the side of the casino entrance, and the use of smaller buildings decorated across the walls.

    The interior references the regions of New York city, such as the use of indoor neon signage and vintage advertisements referencing Times Square, the multiple small restaurants referencing Gourmet Street, and the placement of indoor trees and plants referencing New York's Central Garden. Not to mention the art deco-style murals situated on the walls of the casino‘s interior.

New York-New York's casino and hotel exterior are miniature versions of the following:

#### ***Hotel towers:***

* Empire State Building (47 stories / 529 feet)
* Century Building (41 stories / 416 feet)
* Seagram's Building (300 feet / 30 stories)
* 55 Water Street (36 stories)
* Lever House Soap Company (29 stories)
* Manhattan Municipal Building (29 stories + 80 foot tower)
* 550 Madison Avenue (26 stories)
* Chrysler Building (40 stories / 500 feet)
* CBS Building (29 stories)
* Wyndham New Yorker Hotel (370 feet / 34 stories)
* One Liberty Plaza (31 stories)
* Ziggurat Building (38 stories)

#### ***Casino Exterior:***

* Haughwout Retail Building
* Soldiers & Sailors Monument
* Alexander Hamilton U.S. Customs House
* Ellis Island Immigrant Receiving Station
* IRT Powerhouse
* United Nations National Headquarter's Assembly Hall
* Grand Central Station Terminal
* New York Public Library

## Restaurants and Bars

### **Gallagher's Steakhouse**

One of the three Gallagher's in the world. A steak house that features a wide selection of BBQ and steak.

### **Nine Fine Irishmen**

One of the most iconic restaurants inside New York-New York, it is an Irish-themed restaurant and pub that opened in 2003.

### **Tom‘s Urban**

Urban-themed diner that mainly serves a wide variety of street food, including buffalo wings and sandwiches.

### **America**

One of the few remaining restaurants that has been open since the opening of New York-New York, it is a United States-themed restaurant that includes a variety of steaks, wine, and beers from across the U.S. It also includes a large 90 x 20 foot map of the United States featuring multiple landmarks.

### **Shake Shack**

Opening in 2013 and replacing the resort’s ESPN Zone, it is a giant roadside burger shack located next to the Park. It features all-natural burgers, hot dogs, and french fries.

### **New York Pizzeria**

A hole-in-the-wall themed pizzeria located inside the casino, it obviously features huge slices of fizzy and pizza pies.

## Additional Information

### **Social Media**

* *Facebook:* https://www.facebook.com/NewYorkNewYorkLasVegas
* *Twitter:* https://twitter.com/NYNYVegas
* *Instagram:* https://www.instagram.com/NYNYVegas/