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
Murray Hill
236 East 36th Street
$3,375base rent
Studio |
1
Washington Heights
509 West 159th Street
$2,600base rent
3 |
1
Marble Hill
163A West 228th Street
$2,524base rent
1 |
1
West Harlem
1471 Amsterdam Avenue
$2,600base rent
1 |
1
Murray Hill
5 Tudor City Place
$2,550base rent
Studio |
1
Central Harlem
2269 Adam C Powell Boulevard
$2,884base rent
2 |
1
Hell’s Kitchen
448 West 54th Street
$2,650base rent
1 |
1
Hamilton Heights
532 West 143rd Street
$2,650base rent
2 |
1
Washington Heights
507 West 159th Street
$3,000base rent
3 |
1
Washington Heights
509 West 159th Street
$2,800base rent
4 |
1
Fort George
24 Thayer Street
$2,595base rent
2 |
1
East Harlem
232 East 124th Street
$2,750base 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
90 Weirfield Street
$2,750base rent
1 |
1
Weeksville
1259 Lincoln Place
$2,599base rent
1 |
1
Gravesend
2301 Benson Avenue
$1,900base rent
1 |
1
Clinton Hill
119 Cambridge Place
$2,800base rent
1 |
1
Greenpoint
72 Box Street
$2,875base rent
Studio |
1
Cobble Hill
126 Boerum Place
$2,499base rent
1 |
1
Flatbush
144 Woodruff Avenue
$2,950base rent
2 |
1
Brownsville
435 East 91st Street
$1,700base rent
1 |
1
Sunset Park
880 59th Street
$1,900base rent
1 |
1
Midwood
3715 Kings Highway
$2,588base rent
2 |
1
Bushwick
105 Vanderveer Street
$2,600base rent
1 |
1
Bensonhurst
1429 Ovington Avenue
$2,195base 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
Kew Gardens
118-80 Metropolitan Avenue
$1,850base rent
Studio |
1
Ditmars-Steinway
23-29 33rd Street
$1,950base rent
1 |
1
Woodside
61-15 43rd Avenue
$2,200base rent
Studio |
1
Maspeth
59-63 56th Avenue
$2,300base rent
1 |
1
Jackson Heights
33-08 84th Street
$1,950base rent
Studio |
1
Fresh Meadows
67-08 192nd Street
$2,000base rent
Studio |
1
Flushing
143-40 41st Avenue
$1,700base rent
Studio |
1
Flushing
143-40 41st Avenue
$2,200base rent
1 |
1
Ditmars-Steinway
20-31 19th Street
$2,400base rent
1 |
1
Jamaica Estates
87-01 Midland Parkway
$1,750base rent
Studio |
1
Fresh Meadows
67-08 192nd Street
$2,300base rent
1 |
1
Briarwood
139-21 85 Drive
$2,050base rent
1 |
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
Central Park South
100 Central Park South
$1,000,000
1 |
1
Carnegie Hill
140 East 95th Street
$399,999
Studio |
1
South Harlem
1330 Fifth Avenue
$699,000
1 |
1
Kips Bay
501 3rd Avenue
$1,230,000
1 |
1
Washington Heights
807 Riverside Drive
$465,000
1 |
1
Kips Bay
501 3rd Avenue
$999,000
Studio |
1
Kips Bay
501 3rd Avenue
$1,025,000
Studio |
1
Kips Bay
501 3rd Avenue
$1,340,000
1 |
1
Yorkville
530 East 90th Street
$799,000
2 |
1
Lower East Side
475 FDR Drive
$688,888
1 |
1
Sutton Place
245 East 54th Street
$618,000
1 |
1
Hell’s Kitchen
408 West 57th Street
$520,000
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
Bedford-Stuyvesant
1240 Bedford Avenue
$650,000
2 |
1
Bedford-Stuyvesant
134 Quincy Street
$725,000
1 |
1
Brighton Beach
40 Oceana Drive
$900,000
2 |
2
Canarsie
665 Varkens Hook Road
$649,999
3 |
3
Williamsburg
221 Frost Street
$1,350,000
2 |
2
Canarsie
1559 Remsen Avenue
$574,900
3 |
2
Ocean Hill
369 Marion Street
$450,000
2 |
1
Greenpoint
100 Newel Street
$780,000
1 |
1
Park Slope
333 4th Street
$749,000
1 |
1
Bergen Beach
1091 East 72nd Street
$599,000
3 |
3
Midwood
800 Ocean Parkway
$329,000
1 |
1
Brighton Beach
40 Br 1 Road
$475,000
2 |
1
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
South Richmond Hill
109-18 Lefferts Boulevard
$499,000
2 |
1
Bay Terrace (Queens)
211-40 18th Avenue
$355,000
2 |
1
Elmhurst
86-15 Dongan Avenue
$338,000
1 |
1
Flushing
138-18 Northern Boulevard
$649,770
1 |
1
Flushing
138-18 Northern Boulevard
$760,220
1 |
1
Bayside
35-18 205th Street
$418,000
2 |
1
Maspeth
58-40 61st Street
$950,000
3 |
1.5
North Corona
112-26 38th Avenue
$538,000
2 |
2
St. Albans
110-44 177th Street
$749,900
3 |
1.5
Beechhurst
166-25 Powells Cove Boulevard
$988,000
2 |
2
Woodside
72-43 Calamus Avenue
$995,000
3 |
2.5
Forest Hills
104-20 68 Drive
$769,000
3 |
2
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!