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.
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West Village
338 West 14th Street
$3,395base rent
Studio |
1
Turtle Bay
349 East 51st Street
$2,900base rent
1 |
1
Hell’s Kitchen
544 West 50th Street
$2,300base rent
1 |
1
Fort George
78 Ellwood Street
$2,921base rent
2 |
1
Hudson Heights
121 Bennett Avenue
$2,750base rent
1 |
1
Hudson Square
18 King Street
$3,250base rent
Studio |
1
Inwood
67 Cooper Street
$2,000base rent
1 |
1
Fort George
608 West 190th Street
$2,200base rent
1 |
1
Hudson Heights
100 Bennett Avenue
$2,800base rent
1 |
1
Lincoln Square
228 West 71st Street
$3,348base rent
Studio |
1
Midtown
136 East 56th Street
$3,250base rent
Studio |
1
East Harlem
2338 Second Avenue
$2,654base rent
2 |
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.
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Gravesend
235 Quentin Road
$1,895base rent
1 |
1
Flatbush
1283 Rogers Avenue
$2,495base rent
1 |
1
Ditmas Park
415 Argyle Road
$2,150base rent
Studio |
1
Prospect Park South
232 East 18th Street
$2,999base rent
1 |
1
Bensonhurst
8320 Bay Parkway
$2,350base rent
1 |
1
Midwood
1440 Ocean Parkway
$2,495base rent
2 |
1
Cypress Hills
48 Schenck Avenue
$2,500base rent
1 |
1
Bedford-Stuyvesant
860 Marcy Avenue
$2,700base rent
1 |
1
Crown Heights
1159 Saint John’s Place
$2,800base rent
1 |
1
Bushwick
55 Stanhope Street
$2,799base rent
1 |
1
Gravesend
2230 Cropsey Avenue
$2,760base rent
1 |
1
Gravesend
2230 Cropsey Avenue
$2,760base 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.
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Maspeth
60-17 56 Drive
$2,100base rent
1 |
1
Sunnyside
45-38 42nd Street
$2,200base rent
Studio |
1
Jamaica
147-28 90th Avenue
$1,795base rent
Studio |
1
Kew Gardens
83-14 Lefferts Boulevard
$2,350base rent
1 |
1
Long Island City
36-15 31st Street
$2,481base rent
1 |
1
Woodhaven
86-02 Park Lane South
$2,000base rent
1 |
1
Bayside
211-09 42nd Avenue
$2,400base rent
1 |
1
Ridgewood
60-68 71st Avenue
$2,475base rent
1 |
1
Oakland Gardens
228-21 69th Avenue
$2,395base rent
1 |
1
Woodside
31-21 54th Street
$2,399base rent
1 |
1
Jamaica
89-29 163rd Street
$2,350base rent
1 |
1
Ditmars-Steinway
21-16 73rd Street
$1,900base 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.
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Central Harlem
300 West 135th Street
$889,000
2 |
2
Sutton Place
141 East 55th Street
$739,000
1 |
1
Central Harlem
221 West 148th Street
$430,000
1 |
1
Hudson Heights
350 Cabrini Boulevard
$449,000
1 |
1
Midtown
18 West 48th Street
$999,990
1 |
1
Hudson Heights
116 Pinehurst Avenue
$625,000
2 |
1
Financial District
80 John Street
$750,000
Studio |
1
Turtle Bay
45 Tudor City Place
$545,000
1 |
1
Lincoln Square
18 West 70th Street
$1,079,000
1 |
1.5
Murray Hill
160 East 38th Street
$795,000
1 |
1
Turtle Bay
333 East 43rd Street
$525,000
1 |
1
Hell’s Kitchen
635 West 42nd Street
$950,000
1 |
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!).
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Borough Park
1238 63rd Street
$599,900
1 |
1
Marine Park
1674 Ryder Street
$1,099,000
3 |
2
Brighton Beach
2805 Ocean Parkway
$1,080,000
2 |
2
Mapleton
2314 60th Street
$1,299,000
4 |
2.5
New Lots
958 Crescent Street
$815,000
8 |
4.5
Coney Island
2842 West 27th Street
$749,000
3 |
1.5
Fort Hamilton
149 Marine Avenue
$538,000
2 |
1
Brighton Beach
100 Oceana Drive
$797,000
2 |
1
Gravesend
367 Avenue S
$349,000
1 |
1
Carroll Gardens
535 Clinton Street
$695,000
1 |
1
Borough Park
1315 64th Street
$1,100,000
4 |
2
Canarsie
1242 East 100th Street
$949,000
4 |
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.
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Oakland Gardens
220-44 67th Avenue
$445,000
2 |
1.5
Woodside
70-09 45th Avenue
$559,000
Studio |
0
Queens Village
109-28 212nd Street
$899,000
4 |
4
Jackson Heights
35-34 84th Street
$419,000
1 |
1
Bayside
35-18 205th Street
$389,000
2 |
1
Flushing
138-35 Elder Avenue
$575,000
1 |
1
Woodside
70-09 45th Avenue
$574,900
1 |
2
East Flushing
191-02 39th Avenue
$954,000
3 |
1.5
Ditmars-Steinway
45-02 Ditmars Boulevard
$585,000
1 |
1
Jamaica
150-43 113rd Avenue
$649,000
3 |
2
Astoria
25-69 38th Street
$650,000
1 |
1
Kew Gardens Hills
63-07 138th Street
$779,000
2 |
1.5
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!