Las Vegas, Nevada
The Roller Coaster at New York New York
Located at the
popular intersection of Tropicana Ave. and Las Vegas Blvd., intertwined within
the New York skyline of the New York New York Hotel & Casino in
Las Vegas is the The Roller Coaster at New York New
York, formerly called the Manhattan Express. Set in a perfect postcard shot,
its surroundings include a replica of the New York harbor, a 150-foot model of
the Statue of Liberty as well as several of Manhattans popular buildings.
4,777 feet of track
Maximum height of 203 feet
Drops of 144
feet
Speeds up to 67 mph
The ride departs the loading station within
the hotel and begins up a steep 203-foot lift hill with an awesome aerial view
of the south end of the Strip. Don't get too comfortable, because before you
know it you're speeding up to 67 miles per hour down a 144-foot drop followed
by two inversions, a standard vertical loop and the world's first "heartline"
twist and dive maneuver, where the train performs a 180 degree spiral and then
performs a half-loop maneuver. Simulating a barrel-roll in a fighter, it rolls
180 degrees, hangs 86 feet in the air, then dives back under itself. The rest
of the ride is executed on the roof of the casino, and features small hills and
a helix.
One
of the tallest, fastest and longest roller coasters in Las Vegas, this coaster
has been reported as a pretty violent headbanger. While it was not the
smoothest coaster I've ridden, it was also not the worst headbanger I've
experienced either.
The line for getting on this coaster was virtually
non-existent when I visited during mid-day in March '07. I only had to wait for
two people in front of me for a front seat. Be aware they seemed very strict
about personal belongings carried on the ride. They wouldn't even let me keep
my strap-on fanny pack.