New York New York Hotel & Casino Rating: 3.5 Pearls

The Strip, Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas is home to a replica Roman Empire (Caesar's) and a faux Eiffel Tower (Paris), and so, of course, it has its own New York City as well. Welcome to New York, New York, the hotel, where guests can grab a bite in the "Village" stroll over the "Brooklyn Bridge" or play video games at "Coney Island."

Sure, it's all a little cheesy. And the hotel itself is begging for a renovation. But every Vegas hotel worth its salt needs a theme and what could be better than the Big Apple? With its own in-house roller coaster -- the cars look like NYC taxis -- and cheap rates, New York, New York is a popular option for families looking for an inexpensive Strip hotel.

Unfortunately, the halls are musty and the rooms are generic looking and in need of updating. Families looking to stay cheaply on the Strip should compare prices at Treasure Island.

Service at New York, New York is far from great -- you won't get personalized attention of any kind here. And the staff never takes initiative. But given the price of the rooms, the service isn't bad: consistent, competent, and responsive.

Despite a long line, check-in went quickly and smoothly. Special calls to the front desk were always answered promptly. My breakfast order arrived in 20 minutes, fresh towels in 17.

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New York, New York is located close to the southern end of the densely packed three-and-a-half mile long stretch of hotel-casinos known as the Strip, and across from the MGM Grand (a pedestrian overpass connects the two hotels).

Most Las Vegas visitors want to explore all of the big properties along the Strip. Cabs are easy to find at virtually any time of day or night. A generally less expensive option is the Deuce, a double-decker bus that runs up and down the strip 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and costs $3 to ride. There's also a monorail system, which stops at MGM Grand, Bally's/Paris, Flamingo/Caesars Palace, Harrah's/Imperial Palace, the Las Vegas Convention Center, the Hilton, and the Sahara. A single-ride ticket is $5; a one-day pass is $13. If you're traveling along the Strip with at least one other person, a cab is often the least expensive option.

Virtually every hotel on the Las Vegas Strip is a 10- to 15-minute cab ride from McCarran International Airport; the ride typically costs about $15.

Standard rooms at New York, New York are as generic as a Strip hotel room can be; except for the view of a roller coaster out the window, I could have been staying at a midpriced airport chain hotel anywhere in the country.

As with most of the features, the beds are fairly average. No pillow-top mattress or high-thread-count sheets. Just two flat pillows on each bed.

A tint on the windows makes the rooms dark even when direct sunlight shines in.

The water pressure in the shower was fine, but the temperature of the water changed frequently and sometimes didn't get hot at all. (This was the only Las Vegas hotel where I experienced this.)

The TV was an older model and offered about 20 channels. On the other hand, the rooms have MP3/iPod players. Wi-Fi is available for $14.99 per day.

New York, New York is one of the few hotels in Las Vegas with a roller coaster, which guests board indoors next to the arcade before being barreled outside at speeds up to 65 mph. For couples looking for a dramatic beginning to their life together, the hotel also offers a roller-coaster wedding.

The property also features a large arcade with video and carnival-style games.

A standard range of services are available at the spa, including massages, waxes, manicures and facials. A manicure is $60; a 50-minute massage is $130; and a 25-minute facial is $70.

After 5 p.m, guests can use the fitness center and certain spa facilities for a $10 discounted rate until they close at 7 p.m. This was the only hotel I stayed in that offered a deal like this. Otherwise the day-use fee for the fitness center and spa facilities is $20.

The pool is small but pleasantly mellow, which is a nice change compared to some rowdy Las Vegas pools like those at the Mandalay Bay and MGM Grand. A handful of cabanas are available for rent. On weekends, finding a lounge chair can be difficult. The pool has a bar. Poolside food and beverage service is available.

The hotel has one of the biggest arcades in Las Vegas, a roller coaster, and a reasonably sedate (if somewhat small) pool. Cribs and rollaway beds cost an additional $30 per night.

The hallways smell musty. My room smelled musty too, though not as bad as the hallway. Opening the window solved the problem, or maybe I just got used to it. Other hotel guests I spoke with complained of the smell as well.

In the bathroom I found hair on the floor left over from a mop.

The common areas of the hotel were, for the most part, clean. Like any hotel in Las Vegas, however, empty drinks are discarded on every available surface and towels are left by the pool -- but the staff does a good job keeping up.

While New York, New York has plenty of eateries, many of them offering a solid value, it conspicuously lacks the kind of value-oriented buffet that's a staple of most hotels on the Strip. (Nor -- perhaps, needless to say -- does it have any high-end, celebrity-chef restaurants.)

In the faux Greenwich Village guests will find various pizza shops, hotdog stands (including Nathan's), burger places, and coffee shops. Sit-down establishments include the Mexican Gonzalez Y Gonzalez, the Asian-fusion Chin Chin, and the Irish Nine Fine Irishmen. Pricier options include Il Foranio, an Italian restaurant with quasi-outdoor seating next to the casino floor; and Gallagher's Steakhouse.