The themed resort is one of the things that makes Vegas so special. If you just want to gamble, you can find casinos all over the place. Only in Vegas can you walk from an Egyptian pyramid to a Mid-evil Castle to New York City without even traveling a mile.
Enter NYNY, MGM’s contribution to the Vegas themed offerings. Located on the corner of the busiest intersection in the United States, Tropicana and Las Vegas Blvd, NYNY was a huge hit from day one. It aimed for the mid-market right out of the gate and they came. Some have argued that the property has an identity crisis with Cirque’s most provocative production in residency while also offering a huge arcade and a roller coaster, clearly aimed at entertaining those not old enough to gamble.
Today, it’s one of the anchor properties of MGM’s outdoor promenade “The Park”, a play off of New York’s central park, if only in general concept and location to the themed resort, complete with a 20,000 seat arena and home to the cities first professional team. Coming up on it’s 20th anniversary, it doesn’t appear to be going anywhere anytime soon.
