The most wonderful time of the year has snuck up on us once again. And as New Yorkers know, it’s easy to get caught up in the festivities and put off your holiday shopping. If you’re scrambling to find gifts for your city-dwelling friends and family — or an aspirational New Yorker — don’t fret. Here are 10 perfect New York gift ideas.
Table of Contents
Manhattan Rentals Under $3,500 on StreetEasyArticle continues below
East Harlem
215 East 110th Street
$2,195base rent
1 |
1
East Village
512 East 12th Street
$2,850base rent
1 |
1
Upper East Side
64 East 86th Street
$2,000base rent
1 |
1
Yorkville
305 East 95th Street
$3,300base rent
1 |
1
Yorkville
305 East 95th Street
$2,750base rent
Studio |
1
Yorkville
305 East 95th Street
$2,700base rent
Studio |
1
Fort George
4650 Broadway
$3,038base rent
1 |
1
West Village
8 Jones Street
$2,895base rent
Studio |
1
Yorkville
502 East 88th Street
$2,383base rent
Studio |
1
Hudson Yards
410 West 36th Street
$3,195base rent
1 |
1
Yorkville
1570 First Avenue
$3,195base rent
Studio |
1
Washington Heights
448 West 167th Street
$2,850base rent
1 |
1
For the transit lover
There’s nothing more fitting for a populous that’s obsessed (consumed? disgruntled?) with the city’s transportation system than a subway-themed gift. From the New York Transit Museum Store, you can buy everything from MetroCard totes to subway-themed mugs and baby onesies.
You can purchase from the store online, or in-person at three different locations: the NY Transit Museum & Store in Downtown Brooklyn, the New York Transit Museum Gallery Annex & Store inside Grand Central Terminal, or the New York Transit Museum Shop in the Financial District. Check out the museum while you’re at it!
For the book lover
For the readers on your shopping list, go for New York-themed books. As you can imagine, there are countless fiction and non-fiction works on the subject. Local stores like The Strand and the Tenement Museum Shop have massive online and in-person selections of books about NYC. The Strand even offers a New York Collection bundle of used hardcover books on New York City history, culture, and more.
Literature fans will love Manhattan Beach by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jennifer Egan, a historical drama that takes place in 1940s Brooklyn. Or consider Colson Whitehead’s The Collosus of New York, an ultra-relatable collection of essays inspired by the city. For history fans, the acclaimed biography The Power Broker will give readers a thorough (like, 1,344-pages thorough) understanding of infamous city official Robert Moses and how he shaped New York into the metropolis we know today.
Brooklyn Rentals Under $3,000 on StreetEasyArticle continues below
Bushwick
14 Arion Place
$1,680base rent
1 |
1
Bedford-Stuyvesant
118 Tompkins Avenue
$2,950base rent
1 |
1
Ocean Hill
75 Truxton Street
$2,700base rent
2 |
1
Greenwood
367 20th Street
$2,778base rent
2 |
1
Bay Ridge
510 73rd Street
$2,900base rent
3 |
1
Greenpoint
87 Commercial Street
$2,930base rent
Studio |
1
Kensington
58 Dahill Road
$2,200base rent
1 |
1
East Flatbush
3400 Snyder Avenue
$2,300base rent
1 |
1
Sunset Park
3901 Fifth Avenue
$2,600base rent
2 |
1
Stuyvesant Heights
678 Hancock Street
$2,200base rent
Studio |
1
Midwood
1350 Ocean Parkway
$1,950base rent
1 |
1
Crown Heights
1574 Union Street
$2,250base rent
1 |
1
For the financially-minded
There’s one New York gift idea that’ll always work when time is running out before the holidays: cash. And given the cost of living in NYC, New Yorkers need plenty of it.
A survey conducted by The Harris Poll on behalf of StreetEasy asked New Yorkers about what they’d like to receive as a gift. When presented with the options of a vacation, money toward rent or a down payment, new electronics, or concert tickets, 2 out of 5 renters opted for the rent money, while 3 out of 10 aspiring buyers preferred money for a down payment. Recent sellers would also rather receive money toward a down payment on their next home than a trip or vacation. In other words, cash is king, especially for New Yorkers — and it’s an easy gift to give.
For the art and culture lover
You’ll never run out of gifts to give to the NYC culture hound in your life. But if you’re having a hard time choosing, here are a few ideas.
Jazz at Lincoln Center tickets or classes
Jazz at Lincoln Center offers classes in addition to concerts. (Wikimedia Commons)
As one of the leading jazz educational institutions and performance centers in the world, Jazz at Lincoln Center is a standout cultural institution in a city full of them. Give tickets to any of their stellar performances, or consider a Swing University class, where students learn about the history of jazz and how to appreciate the genre. Classes are held virtually, and can be purchased singularly or as a package.
Queens Rentals Under $2,500 on StreetEasyArticle continues below
Sunnyside
43-33 46th Street
$2,195base rent
Studio |
1
Jackson Heights
37-20 83rd Street
$2,300base rent
1 |
1
Rego Park
99-39 66th Avenue
$2,488base rent
Studio |
1
Briarwood
141-37 Pershing Crescent
$2,375base rent
1 |
1
Woodside
34-38 58th Street
$2,300base rent
1 |
1
Ditmars-Steinway
22-12 78th Street
$2,350base rent
1 |
1
Rego Park
61-61 Woodhaven Boulevard
$1,750base rent
Studio |
1
Sunnyside
48-42 44th Street
$2,425base rent
1 |
1
Astoria
27-02 Astoria Boulevard
$2,400base rent
1 |
1
Sunnyside
43-06 46th Street
$2,375base rent
1 |
1
Astoria
27-35 21st Street
$2,107base rent
Studio |
1
Astoria
25-24 Broadway
$1,800base rent
Studio |
1
NYC photography
Classic NYC photography always makes a great gift.
Help your friends decorate their homes with famous New York photographs, like the one of those men lunching precariously on a skyscraper construction beam. If you want to pick up some cheap prints, you can find them at many stands near tourist-heavy spots, like Times Square or Columbus Circle. And if you want to class it up a bit, you can opt for framed prints or unique reproductions by vendors at NYC holiday markets or on sites like Etsy.
Museum memberships
The Whitney offers great views outside, too.
A museum membership is a thoughtful gift that will keep on giving…at least until its expires. The Whitney Museum is expansive, hip, and has an outdoor terrace with Hudson River views for $90 per year. The Museum of Modern Art offers annual memberships for as low as $65, with higher tiers for the most dedicated of patrons. If you want to venture out of Manhattan and mix in a little nature with your nurture, think about a membership to the New York Botanical Garden or the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, whose exhibitions change with the seasons.
Manhattan Homes Under $1.5M on StreetEasyArticle continues below
Yorkville
531 East 83rd Street
$599,000
2 |
1
Greenwich Village
77 Bleecker Street
$899,000
1 |
1
Murray Hill
320 East 35th Street
$479,000
1 |
1
Lenox Hill
118 East 60th Street
$1,125,000
2 |
2
Inwood
1825 Riverside Drive
$800,000
4 |
2
Midtown
77 West 55th Street
$685,000
Studio |
1
Financial District
75 Wall Street
$695,000
Studio |
1
Lenox Hill
166 East 61st Street
$590,000
Studio |
1
Turtle Bay
310 East 46th Street
$629,000
Studio |
1
West Chelsea
517 West 29th Street
$1,395,000
1 |
1
Murray Hill
330 East 38th Street
$1,495,000
1 |
2
East Village
241 East 7th Street
$425,000
Studio |
1
Broadway tickets
Broadway shows: they make Times Square bearable.
Even if New Yorkers claim to hate Times Square, any sane person will make an exception for a Broadway show. If you’re looking to wow the lucky recipient, choose a coveted favorite like Hamilton, The Lion King, or Wicked. There are several resale and discount ticket sites and apps you can use to score a deal. If you want something a bit more low-key and less expensive, there are a slew of phenomenal off-Broadway theaters. Try Signature Theatre or Roundabout Theatre Company, which offer more intimate viewing experiences and top-notch performers, many of whom also work on more glitzy Broadway stages.
The New Yorker magazine subscription
Are you truly an NYC resident until you’re 20-plus weeks behind on your New Yorker pile? Give the gift of incredible long-form articles, restaurant recommendations, cultural commentary, and hilarious cartoons — all in one magazine that may take you an entire week to finish (in the best way!).
Brooklyn Homes Under $1.5M on StreetEasyArticle continues below
Downtown Brooklyn
9 De Kalb Avenue
$928,000
Studio |
1
Downtown Brooklyn
388 Bridge Street
$699,000
Studio |
1
Bushwick
1027 Bushwick Avenue
$895,000
2 |
2
Bushwick
1027 Bushwick Avenue
$665,000
1 |
1
Fort Hamilton
9201 Shore Road
$529,000
2 |
1
Canarsie
1235 East 104th Street
$729,000
3 |
1.5
Park Slope
145 Park Place
$300,000
Studio |
1
Canarsie
732 East 82nd Street
$1,100,000
6 |
3.5
Downtown Brooklyn
96 Schermerhorn Street
$770,000
1 |
1
Bay Ridge
656 77th Street
$1,299,000
4 |
2
Flatbush
160 East 31st Street
$899,000
5 |
2.5
Bushwick
1027 Bushwick Avenue
$960,000
2 |
2
For the sports fan
A love of sports runs deep in NYC’s pulsing, concrete-enshrouded heart, and team loyalties will always be a point of both pride and contention. Any Modell’s location in the city will have an array of local team gear. Or, browse the MLB Store for hats and jerseys from New York’s two baseball clubs. Whatever you’re gifting, though, don’t choose wrong — a Yankees fan will scoff at a Mets hat, and a Mets fan will certainly throw that Yankees jersey in the donation pile.
Hit the ball out of the park by giving tickets to a home game.
If you want to go all out, why not surprise and delight with tickets to a game? There are still a few games left in the NFL season, and the NHL season goes to mid-April. Tickets for next year’s MLB season are usually available this time of year, too. Grab home game tickets for the Giants, Jets, Rangers, Islanders, Yankees, or Mets.
Queens Homes Under $1M on StreetEasyArticle continues below
Forest Hills
106-20 70th Avenue
$699,000
1 |
1
Oakland Gardens
218-02 73rd Avenue
$349,000
2 |
1
South Jamaica
153-02 Foch Boulevard
$629,000
3 |
2
Ozone Park
90-28 Pitkin Avenue
$899,000
3 |
3
Ozone Park
97-38 Bristol Avenue
$750,000
2 |
2.5
College Point
13-19 136th Street
$899,000
3 |
2
Astoria
30-80 21st Street
$940,000
2 |
2
Jackson Heights
32-40 91st Street
$328,000
2 |
1
Sunnyside
50-21 39 Place
$359,999
Studio |
1
Murray Hill (Queens)
144-49 Northern Boulevard
$978,000
2 |
2
Oakland Gardens
74-77 220th Street
$354,000
2 |
1
Astoria
30-05 Vernon Boulevard
$598,000
1 |
1
For the New York foodie
New Yorkers love — no, adore — their bagels and lox, and you can fuel their affair with a Russ & Daughters gift basket. The beloved Lower East Side institution first opened its doors in 1914, and has been wooing locals with perfect bagels and fresh fish ever since. Show your friends and family that you know good New York bagels when you see them.
If you have another spot in mind for the foodie on your list, Goldbelly offers a variety of specialties from legendary NYC purveyors like Barney Greengrass, Levain Bakery, John’s of Bleecker Street, Gramercy Tavern, and more. They deliver nationwide, so you can gift a little taste of New York to your loved ones even if they don’t call it home!