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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Manhattan Valley
132 West 109th Street
$2,865base rent
Studio |
1
Inwood
5025 Broadway
$2,595base rent
1 |
1
Midtown South
7 East 32nd Street
$3,350base rent
Studio |
1
South Harlem
2220 Frederic Douglas Boulevard
$3,000base rent
1 |
1
Washington Heights
533 West 158th Street
$2,995base rent
2 |
1
Turtle Bay
311 East 52nd Street
$3,495base rent
1 |
1
Midtown
150 West 47th Street
$3,250base rent
Studio |
1
Carnegie Hill
130 East 93rd Street
$3,330base rent
1 |
1
Sutton Place
339 East 58th Street
$3,000base rent
Studio |
1
Midtown
69 West 55th Street
$3,200base rent
Studio |
1
Hell’s Kitchen
350 West 55th Street
$2,978base rent
Studio |
1
East Harlem
2252 First Avenue
$2,600base 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.
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Brooklyn Heights
32 Remsen Street
$2,983base rent
Studio |
1
Greenwood
769 Fourth Avenue
$2,895base rent
2 |
1
Bushwick
972 Bushwick Avenue
$2,775base rent
1 |
1
Bedford-Stuyvesant
460 Throop Avenue
$2,895base rent
1 |
1
Flatbush
706 East 32nd Street
$2,900base rent
1 |
1
Weeksville
203 Rochester Avenue
$2,700base rent
2 |
1
Bensonhurst
1984 79th Street
$1,900base rent
Studio |
1
Fort Hamilton
373 92nd Street
$2,000base rent
1 |
1
Bedford-Stuyvesant
57 Herkimer Street
$2,295base rent
Studio |
1
Bay Ridge
580 82nd Street
$2,225base rent
2 |
1
Bushwick
207 Himrod Street
$2,000base rent
Studio |
1
Crown Heights
1201 Saint John’s Place
$2,658base 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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Jamaica
166-20 90th Avenue
$2,449base rent
1 |
1
Jamaica
166-20 90th Avenue
$2,456base rent
1 |
1
Jamaica
166-20 90th Avenue
$2,456base rent
1 |
1
Woodhaven
87-78 94th Street
$2,000base rent
1 |
1
Briarwood
143-26 84 Road
$2,426base rent
1 |
1
Corona
98-40 57th Avenue
$2,015base rent
Studio |
1
Elmhurst
40-49 77th Street
$2,375base rent
1 |
1
Old Howard Beach
98-02 160th Avenue
$1,650base rent
1 |
1
Kew Gardens Hills
141-33 79th Avenue
$2,300base rent
1 |
1
Kew Gardens
83-57 118th Street
$2,450base rent
1 |
1
Fresh Meadows
196-11 69th Avenue
$1,950base rent
Studio |
1
Ditmars-Steinway
21-36 Crescent Street
$2,395base 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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Kips Bay
165 Lexington Avenue
$1,290,000
1 |
1
East Village
66 Avenue C
$699,999
1 |
1
Financial District
75 Wall Street
$995,000
1 |
1
Hudson Heights
269 Bennett Avenue
$529,000
2 |
1
Midtown South
425 Fifth Avenue
$1,068,000
1 |
1
Battery Park City
30 Little West Street
$1,150,000
1 |
1.5
Lincoln Square
303 West 66th Street
$1,050,000
2 |
1
Upper West Side
269 West 87th Street
$1,499,999
3 |
3.5
Chelsea
253 West 16th Street
$495,000
Studio |
1
Hamilton Heights
345 West 145th Street
$375,000
1 |
1
Turtle Bay
45 Tudor City Place
$330,000
Studio |
1
Murray Hill
25 Tudor City Place
$318,000
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!).
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Prospect Lefferts Gardens
406 Fenimore Street
$579,000
1 |
1
Downtown Brooklyn
189 Schermerhorn
$1,075,000
1 |
2
Borough Park
5024 Tenth Avenue
$525,000
Studio |
0
Greenwood
814 Fifth Avenue
$1,395,000
2 |
2
Homecrest
2518 Ocean Avenue
$869,000
2 |
2
Stuyvesant Heights
775 Lafayette Avenue
$699,000
2 |
1.5
Williamsburg
14 Monitor Street
$799,000
1 |
1.5
Ocean Hill
1325 Herkimer Street
$490,000
1 |
1
Bushwick
40 Schaefer Street
$750,000
1 |
2
Bushwick
78 Harman Street
$1,080,000
2 |
1.5
Park Slope
205 15th Street
$1,049,000
2 |
2
Bushwick
366 Harman Street
$600,000
1 |
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.
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Astoria
31-14 Crescent Street
$349,000
1 |
1
Rego Park
65-36 Wetherole Street
$395,000
1 |
1
Rego Park
90-02 63 Drive
$448,500
2 |
1
Arverne
141 Beach 67th Street
$615,000
Studio |
1
South Jamaica
116-16 167th Street
$860,000
4 |
2
Middle Village
62-98 Woodhaven Boulevard
$725,000
Studio |
1
Ditmars-Steinway
23-11 21st Avenue
$579,000
1 |
1
Brookville
147-46 231st Street
$910,000
4 |
3
Flushing
134-05 Dahlia Avenue
$680,000
2 |
2
Jackson Heights
35-27 76th Street
$840,000
2 |
2
Ramblersville
44 Broadway
$629,000
3 |
1
Richmond Hill
85-08 102nd Street
$840,000
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!