NEW YORK — A weekend in the city with two kids under 7 was to be our first visit with both of them. I had our agenda all laid out, including tickets to the Central Park Zoo, a special exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History, endless rides on the subway, thin-crust pizza, cupcakes in the West Village and, of course, hot dogs and salty street pretzels coated in mustard.

But I also needed to be mindful of costs, which is never easy when visiting Manhattan. So I scoured Kayak, Priceline, Orbitz, and Hotels.com in search of a room, only to log off a few hours later bleary-eyed and frustrated.