Fun amenities outweigh the practical ones
Family Restrooms: Yes
Diaper Changing Stations: Yes
Lactation Space: None
Stroller-Friendly: Somewhat
Overall Child-Friendly: Yes
Time Spent: 2-3 hours
If you read my first post in this blog, you’ll recall an awkward but funny scene: Me, huddled in a nursing cover at the New York-New York Las Vegas Hotel and Casino, pumping in the restroom alongside the showgirls. As it turns out, I could have avoided this scene altogether by locating an elusive family restroom on site that I missed. Instead, I used this opportunity to stop tucking myself away in bathroom stalls and try pumping more openly. For better or worse, this experience is emblazoned among my strongest memories of Las Vegas’ Big Apple.
Most downtown Las Vegas hotels have fairly large restrooms with long rows of sinks, which provide enough space to set up a portable pump — in my case, the Medela Pump in Style. This set up is what I tried at New York-New York, with relative success. I ran into a bit of trouble getting my nursing cover in place discreetly, but once I got situated, I quickly realized the sinks were preferable to a stall in terms of spaciousness and cleanliness. I was also pleasantly surprised by the flood of positive comments I received from other women. My self-consciousness gradually receded with each new comment.
A family restroom still would have been better, in my opinion, and a follow-up inquiry with the MGM Hotel Group confirmed that there is at least one on site. But, since my family wasn’t able to find or use it, I’m listing New York-New York at #9 in my ranking of baby-friendly spots in Las Vegas.
Through my follow-up inquiry, I also confirmed that New York-New York has at least one diaper changing station but no public lactation space. We did locate and use a changing station, although I recall checking more than one restroom to find it. Across the Las Vegas Strip, we never did locate any public lactation spaces, although we certainly didn’t stop everywhere. In the future, it would be great to see more public lactation spaces across the Strip and more clear signage to guide families to existing amenities.
I sent a couple more questions to the MGM Hotel Group about the number and location of family restrooms and changing stations at New York-New York, but I haven’t heard back yet. If I do, I’ll be sure to update this post.
Aside from the restrooms, New York-New York was about as child-friendly as a casino can be. Like Paris Las Vegas, there’s a Disney vibe that I enjoyed. The decor evoked a picturesque, bustling city with vendors hawking hotdogs, coffee, and even custom s’mores near Hershey’s Chocolate World, which were delicious. For older children, New York-New York also features The Big Apple Coaster, a visible feature along the Vegas skyline.
One of our favorite family features was the arcade near the entrance to the coaster. We walked past several arcades in downtown Vegas that turned out to be duds, but this one had a wide variety of games. It’s worth noting that Excalibur also has a great “Fun Dungeon”.
As with many other downtown locations, New York-New York required plenty of ups and downs in the elevator, as we met up with family and navigated with a stroller. Baby-wearing is definitely an option worth considering, depending on your plans throughout the day. We opted for a stroller, because we had a full day with multiple stops planned. For us, baby-wearing would make more sense during an isolated, fully air-conditioned outing to a single resort.
All-in-all, I think New York-New York is a fun choice for families, especially compared with other casinos that lack child-friendly attractions. If I could do our visit over again, I would ask for help locating the family restroom, or restrooms, that I missed. The missing pieces for me are more practical family amenities and more information about the amenities that are available.