Anonymous wrote:OP here-
Thanks for the ideas.
The $150 for all four of us is accurate.
No hotel, we’re staying with friends in Hoboken, NJ.
We have two meals out planned (dinner and lunch); we expect to spend under $300.
We will go to the Metropolitan Museum ($100 for two adult and two student tickets).
We’ll check out the Broadway lottery idea. While I’d love to see a Broadway show, it’s just not a choice we can make right now. Just going to NYC for three days is a huge treat for our family.
If your friends are OK with it, you may be able to use their NJ ID to get free tickets (the Met is pay what you wish for NY, NJ, CT residents).
This is also a good list of museums that are free for everyone on certain days (or always):
https://www.nyc-arts.org/collections/35/free-museum-days-or-pay-what-you-wish/
I actually think NYC is a great place for an inexpensive vacation, if you have lodging covered. Walk around different neighborhoods, ride the bus to anywhere, walk the High Line, the SI Ferry, any public park, etc.