This isn’t necessarily cheap and you have to have a good sister/sister-in-law (like me 🙂 to watch your kids, but its good for once or twice a year.
Book a short get a way in the city! You can get a really fancy hotel room for half the price on Priceline when you name your own price. At night you eat out dinner and in the morning you have brunch and spend the day in the City.
It’s like a mini stay-cation.
(This isn’t limited to NY)
Enjoy!