By Sun Staff

Fri, Jan 3, 1997 (11:59 a.m.)

Fifteen guests at New York-New York's gala grand opening took the term "high-roller" to new extremes when it came to the first ride on the resort's signature Manhattan Express roller coaster Thursday night.

Resort officials auctioned 15 seats for charity for a total of $23,675 with the top bidder -- who paid $2,700 -- getting to share the front seat with hunky "Baywatch" star David Hasselhoff on the first ride.

New York-New York has adopted the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Southern Nevada as its charity of choice. The organization grants "wishes" of children up to 18 years old who are suffering from life-threatening illnesses.

After the auction was completed, the chief executive officers of MGM Grand Inc. and Primadonna Resorts Inc., J. Terrence Lanni and Gary Primm, announced they would match the proceeds. The final donation: $47,350.

When regular customers arrive today, they won't have to pay those kinds of prices. A ride on the Manhattan Express sells for $5 each and token dispensers in the Coney Island Emporium accept $5, $10 and $20 denominations.

Executives are looking at the roller coaster as a money-maker. With a capacity of around 1,000 an hour, the coaster could potentially command revenues of $60,000 a day or $21.9 million a year.

Even with down time for bad weather, maintenance and slow periods, the ride should more than make up its investment within two years.

LIBERTY IN LAS VEGAS: Fred and Debby Walter have lived in New York 32 years but they've never visited the Statue of Liberty.

Not until Thursday night on the Strip.

"We finally made it," Fred said.

"Yeah," said Debby, "we figured it'd be a lot safer to see it in Las Vegas."

CASHING IN: How much cash must you have on hand when opening a new resort?

With its prime location and appealing decor, New York-New York may be atypical. But it had $6 million in bills and coins available to pay off table game winners and supply each of the 2,400 slot machines with enough coins to pay off all but large jackpots.

That's $6 million before the first customer cashed in a bill for casino chips or coins.

RISING RATES: New York-New York opened with daily room rates in the $89 to $129 range, but those will vary according to demand and seasonal factors. But if you want to get the low rates, do so now. As word about the new facility spreads, the rates are sure to rise.

YOU'RE HIRED: More than 45,000 people applied for jobs at New York-New York, but the resort hired just 2,100 directly. Another 1,300 were hired by tenants leasing space in the resort, such as the restaurants, retail shops and some concessions.

"We looked for experience and personality," said William Sherlock, New York-New York president. "Personality was important, because we want people to have fun."

MEDIA MOB: Journalists came from across the globe for the opening of Las Vegas' newest megaresort.

New York-New York spokesman Caroline Coyle said more than 500 representatives of the media were credentialed for the grand opening event with some camera crews representing companies in Japan on hand for the festivities.

ON CAMERA: Throughout the New York-New York property are big-screen televisions that put New York City in the spotlight.

Film clips from several memorable Hollywood classics that used the Big Apple as a backdrop are offered viewers standing in lines or for gamblers wanting to give their eyes a break from slot machine reels.

Among the clips: "When Harry Met Sally ...," Tom Hanks in "Big," Elizabeth Taylor in "Butterfield 8" and Woody Allen's "Annie Hall."

RAIN CHECK?: Resort officials were asked at an afternoon press conference if any New York dignitaries would be in attendance at the evening's grand opening gala.

Reports had circulated that invitations had been extended to New York Gov. George Pataki and New York City Mayor Rudolph Guiliani.

Martin Moore, vice president of sales and marketing for the property, fielded the question: The government officials, he said, "respectfully declined" the invitation.

VISITOR COUNT: Resort officials project 18.25 million visitors will make it to the New York-New York property in 1997.

The New York Convention and Visitors Bureau project that 30.66 million people will visit New York City this year.

THE BIG PICTURE: One of the most interesting features of the hotel's interior is at the front desk.

Above the counter, roughly 20 feet tall and about 100 feet long, is a mural of the New York City skyline just before sunset. The art wraps around a corner and is one of dozens of striking pieces scattered throughout the resort's interior.

Artisans also paid attention to details all over the property, from gargoyles on the Chrysler Building to graffiti on newsracks and faux mailboxes scattered among the restaurants.

In one street setting in Little Italy, the street surface authentically transforms from brick to asphalt, just as they do in streets that have experienced the same transformation over time.

AN OVERVIEW: Few resorts in Las Vegas have vantage points that allow visitors to look out over the expansive casino. But New York-New York has at least two such overlooks.

A large window in a second-floor ice cream parlor off the Coney Island Emporium offers a bird's-eye view of the casino floor from the northern end of the property while a similar overlook exists on the south end at the retail shops accessible from entrances off the pedestrian bridges over Las Vegas Boulevard and Tropicana Avenue.

The layout also allows visitors to go to the Coney Island area without entering the casino. The north bridge from the parking garage to the property leads directly to the amusement area and the loading station to the Manhattan Express roller coaster.

EMPIRE STATE BUILDINGS: To reach the top of New York's 102-story Empire State Building requires scaling 1,860 steps.

To reach the top of New York-New York's 47-story, 529-foot replica is a climb of less than 800 steps.

New York City's Empire State Building has an observation deck, but there are only penthouse suites -- and no observation area -- on the 47th floor of Las Vegas' Empire State Building.

FAST FRIENDS: The MGM Grand and Primadonna Resorts executives who comprise the New York-New York board have become close friends during the 18-month construction project.

When the fireworks display heralding the preview opening finished last night, they hugged each other like winning Super Bowl team members before heading back inside the resort. That display of respect and affection might signal something unexpected in the works, as discussed in the story on Page 1D in Business.

OK, OK: Sign on the marquee at the Tropicana hotel-casino Thursday night: Welcome Welcome New York New York.

SUN STAFF MEMBERS by Ken McCall, Gary Thompson and Richard N. Velotta contributed to this report.