On my recent trip to Vegas, there were two pivotal songs on mental repeat: "Waking Up in Vegas" and "Empire State of Mind." Naturally, the latter came over me when I first strolled into NYNY. The hotel itself is well designed. Restaurant Row was my favorite part of the hotel. It's modeled after a NY city street, complete with a cobblestone path, manhole covers, bright lights, brick buildings, and cafes. You don't quite feel like you're really in NY but it makes for a cool setting when you're grabbing a bite or just passing through.
However, I didn't care much for the casino or the four elevators placed at opposite corners of the building. How chaotic! Each one corresponds to a specific set of rooms so you can't use them interchangeably, and since I didn't feel like waiting in line to ask the concierge I had to figure it out the hard way.