New York New York Hotel & Casino

My boyfriend and I were asked to go to Vegas for his sisters 30th birthday in 2007. How could we refuse? I'd been 13 years earlier when I was 13 years old and had a wonderful time so I couldn't wait to get back there.
Previously I had stayed in the Luxor hotel so wanted a change but still wanted a themed hotel. We decided on NY NY (New York New York). We loved the hotel and had a great view over the strip from our room. We were opposite the MGM Grand which is the largest hotel in the world.
Tips....
"Shop" around for a cheap breakfast. The ones in the hotels are great but are more expensive.
Be prepared to do a lot of walking or to pay for public transport. You can walk the whole of the strip if fit but make sure you wear comfortable shoes! The shuttle tram is excellent but again be warned that sometimes to get to the station (inside the hotels) you will have to walk for a good 10/15 minutes just through the hotel to get to it!
Men and women in their 100's stand on the strip trying to give you cards for call girls. Just ignore them and keep walking.
You MUST watch the Bellagio fountains a few times! They do different shows to different pieces of music, and it really is breath taking!
I'm not a gambler but I've always wanted to have one go on the roulette wheel. I bought a 10 USD chip and put it on a number. The ball landed in the number next door! I didn't win and I didn't play again but I have "played" on a roulette wheel in Vegas!
The rides at the top of stratosphere are brilliant but not for the faint hearted.
We took a trip to The Grand Canyon from Vegas and it was easily the best experience of my life so far! (3 in 1 trip, Plane, Helicopter and boat trip)
You must be prepared for a noisy and extremely fun holiday! Enjoy!

New York New York is a lively hotel with lots to do apart from the gambling. We had a hire car and used the free valet parking which was easy to use.
The valet asked if we needed directions each time we left, which was helpful. A $2 tip is practically obligatory but well worthwhile. I used Google Earth to sus out the route from the airport and the way to get into the hotel.
We stayed twice for 2 nights with a trip to the Grand Canyon in between.
Both rooms were very large and very clean with extremely efficient air conditioning.
There was a great choice of restaurants and bars. We particularly liked Il Fornaio Italian bakery which served a great choice of pastries and drinks for breakfast.
The main Il Fornaio restaurant served authentic Italian dishes and I had a seafood pasta dish which was better than the same meal I had served up in Italy.
Nine Fine Irishmen also serves a variety of good meals in an "authentic" Irish pub setting. Their terrace is a good place to sit and have a meal or drink on a sunny afternoon or a warm evening and they have live Irish music in the evening.
The roller coaster is well worth a go. It costs $12.50 for the first ride but you can often get free tickets.
The Coney Island fair is a bit tacky but that's probably realistic. There are bridges linking the hotel to Excalibur and the MGM Grand. Overall I would say it's a good place to stay as it's close to the airport and the main routes out to the freeways if you are driving.
It's also pretty well situated with The Bellagio and Paris a short distance one way and Luxor and Mandalay Bay easily reached by the free train in the other direction.

One of the biggest hotels on the strip and very centrally located. We stayed here for 5 nights. There is a variety of restaurants and bars. Has a large Irish bar, a lively piano bar and the Coyote Ugly bar. On the first floor there is a large area for kids with lots of old fashioned amusement and fair ground games.

Check in was easy, staff helpful and the rooms spacious.
Across the road is an agency where you can buy shows for that day at a discount price. We used it a couple of times. Always worth checking out the free magazines for money off vouchers to get cheap deals for restaurants, shows and excursions. At New York, New York there’s usually people going round with vouchers which you can use for 2 for 1 drinks at the Irish bar and get free hotdogs.
Connecting New York, New York there is a walkway to the Excalibur. From here there is a free shuttle train to several of the other big hotels on the strip such as the Luxor and Mandalay Bay.
Worth checking out this hotel for cheap accommodation deals especially if staying in Vegas during the week.