When MGM Grand Inc.announced plans to develop New York-New York --featuring replica Empire State and Chrysler buildings, a 300-foot-long Brooklyn Bridge, a Park Avenue shopping district, a Greenwich Village dining area, and the casino set in a tree-shrouded Central Park-----Amusement Consultants saw something missing and, consequently, an opportunity. "When we looked at the preliminary plans for New York-New York, we realized that while they had a Times Square and Broad Street, they didn’t have a Coney Island," says Michael Getlan, director of operations and marketing for Amusement Consultants. "Once we realized that, the pitch was easy: we were going to bring the sights, sounds, tastes, and smells of Coney Island to New York-New York." Coney Island Emporium was built during construction of the whole hotel/casino complex, and both opened with grand galas January 2.

"We were trying to re-create a feeling," Michael Getlan says. "We were not trying to re-create Coney Island at a certain date. We were trying to re-create Coney Island from 1896 to 1947, so there’s a real range there." Says Stern: "You don’t want to lock in one time period because there are people who had experiences at various points of their lives."

The Emporium re-creates Coney Island’s sights with the roller coaster segments and light fixtures, the latter reminding guests of the festival lights that burned so brightly from Brooklyn’s Atlantic shore that they became a popular landmark for ships heading into New York harbor. The Coney Island sounds come from the barkers, the roller coaster soundtrack, the piped-in music of old big band standards, and Vinnie Cravero, the greeter who once broadcast sports from Long Island. Coney Island tastes pop up in fresh popcorn and Nathan’s Famous Restaurant serving hot dogs, burgers, pizza, french fries, and ice cream. The smells emanate from those misters at the entrance.

Replications of period posters scattered throughout the facility tout the feats of traditional carnival attractions such as the glass-blower, magician, strong man, and sword swallower. Kids can wish to be big at the mechanical Fortune Teller, and the Electric Shocker rivals the video games, simulators, and virtual reality units in popularity among guests, both old and young.

The 300-member staff, whom Amusement Consultant calls cast members, work the midway games wearing red and white striped vests over white shirts with black pants, black shoes, string bow ties, and black sleeve garters. The people working the redemption center and laser tag arena reverse the vests so that they are black. On special occasions, the striped-vested cast wears straw hats and the black-vested cast wears bowlers.

A boardwalk guides guests through the facility and out to the Manhattan Express; in fact, Coney Island Emporium is the only entrance and exit for the roller coaster, though Amusement Consultants doesn’t run the ride. Sections of the emporium feature the look and names of individual parks within the original Coney Island, such as Steeplechase and Luna. During construction, planners discovered the area set aside for Dreamland was too small, so with its low ceiling it became the Tunnel of Love, where all the lights are pink and all the players winners. "Nobody should lose in the Tunnel of Love," says Michael Getlan, referring to the Swan Game, a variation of the Ducks on a Pond game, except that even swans that don’t award a stuffed bear give a heart to take home.

The Swan Game illustrates just how far the Emporium’s theming goes, well beyond atmosphere. Its 22 midway games are old favorites with New York slants. A race game uses Checker cabs instead of horses or camels and plays the theme from Taxi. Peach Basket becomes Tunnel Toss, with the baskets painted black and named after Hudson and East river tunnels. Instead of whacking moles, players hammer the heads of famous New York statesmen in Whack-a-Mayor. The Skyscraper Race, in which buildings rise according to the accuracy and speed of rolled balls, bellows Frank Sinatra’s New York, New York.

Reprinted with Permission of Family Entertainment Center
November / December 1997
© 1997 Amusement Consultants, Ltd. All Rights Reserved.