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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Hamilton Heights
620 West 153rd Street
$3,483base rent
1 |
1
Lower East Side
158 Stanton Street
$3,050base rent
1 |
1
Lincoln Square
240 West 64th Street
$1,999base rent
Studio |
1
Sutton Place
321 East 54th Street
$2,995base rent
Studio |
1
East Village
436 East 9th Street
$2,650base rent
Studio |
1
Upper West Side
330 West 108th Street
$2,590base rent
Studio |
1
Yorkville
232 East 80th Street
$2,871base rent
1 |
1
Washington Heights
561 West 175th Street
$2,200base rent
1 |
1
Fort George
96 Arden Street
$3,150base rent
2 |
1
Manhattanville
1440 Amsterdam Avenue
$3,295base rent
1 |
1
Lenox Hill
344 East 76th Street
$3,495base rent
1 |
1
Manhattanville
1440 Amsterdam Avenue
$2,929base rent
Studio |
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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Bedford-Stuyvesant
276 Throop Avenue
$2,899base rent
1 |
1
Flatbush
123 Linden Boulevard
$2,999base rent
1 |
1
Bensonhurst
1574 West 3rd Street
$2,400base rent
1 |
1
Flatbush
123 Linden Boulevard
$2,769base rent
Studio |
1
Flatbush
123 Linden Boulevard
$2,769base rent
Studio |
1
Flatbush
280 Linden Boulevard
$2,197base rent
Studio |
1
Ditmas Park
1710 Newkirk Avenue
$2,750base rent
2 |
1
Weeksville
239 Troy Avenue
$2,100base rent
Studio |
1
Gravesend
8835 23rd Avenue
$2,850base rent
2 |
1
Bath Beach
37 Bay 26th Street
$2,600base rent
1 |
1
Flatbush
123 Linden Boulevard
$2,769base rent
Studio |
1
Bay Ridge
426 67th Street
$2,500base 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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Elmhurst
86-45 Saint James Avenue
$1,720base rent
Studio |
1
Astoria
30-49 Crescent Street
$2,486base rent
1 |
1
Jamaica
92-29 Guy R Brewer Boulevard
$2,404base rent
1 |
1
Ditmars-Steinway
21-44 73rd Street
$2,000base rent
1 |
1
Kew Gardens Hills
75-25 153rd Street
$2,444base rent
1 |
1
Jamaica Estates
188-30 87 Drive
$1,700base rent
Studio |
1
Jackson Heights
35-25 94th Street
$2,300base rent
2 |
1
Flushing
139-09 34th Road
$2,000base rent
1 |
1
Flushing
139-09 34th Road
$2,000base rent
1 |
1
Flushing
143-45 Sanford Avenue
$1,900base rent
Studio |
1
Jackson Heights
34-10 84th Street
$1,999base rent
Studio |
1
Jamaica Hills
165-20 Highland Avenue
$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.
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Financial District
123 Washington Street
$1,490,000
2 |
2
Turtle Bay
310 East 49th Street
$380,000
Studio |
1
Central Harlem
100 West 141st Street
$375,000
3 |
1
Upper West Side
105 West 78th Street
$1,295,000
1 |
1
Hamilton Heights
558 West 148th Street
$415,000
2 |
1
Carnegie Hill
1150 Park Avenue
$1,295,000
2 |
2
Carnegie Hill
141 East 88th Street
$1,495,000
2 |
2
Beekman
433 East 51st Street
$1,425,000
2 |
2
Lenox Hill
205 East 63rd Street
$350,000
Studio |
1
Lincoln Square
246 West End Avenue
$849,000
1 |
1
Hudson Heights
736 West 187th Street
$849,000
2 |
2
Lenox Hill
520 East 72nd Street
$450,000
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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East Williamsburg
501 Vandervoort Avenue
$1,249,000
4 |
3
Sunset Park
4002 7th Avenue
$445,000
1 |
1
Canarsie
10017 Avenue L
$735,000
3 |
2
Gravesend
355 Kings Highway
$849,000
3 |
3
Fort Hamilton
20 93rd Street
$450,000
1 |
1
Gerritsen Beach
77 Beacon Court
$1,250,000
3 |
2
Gerritsen Beach
63 Seba Avenue
$750,000
6 |
3.5
Crown Heights
960 Sterling Place
$395,000
Studio |
1
Clinton Hill
321 Grand Avenue
$688,000
2 |
1
Park Slope
222 16th Street
$950,000
1 |
1
Weeksville
1526 Lincoln Place
$620,000
2 |
2
Park Slope
222 16th Street
$1,495,000
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.
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Forest Hills
110-11 72nd Avenue
$509,000
2 |
1
Little Neck
58-21 251st Street
$408,000
3 |
1
Kew Gardens Hills
150-15 72nd Road
$348,000
2 |
1
Astoria
21-22 33rd Avenue
$688,000
1 |
1
Forest Hills
108-49 63rd Avenue
$450,000
2 |
2
Bay Terrace (Queens)
18-05 215th Street
$395,000
1 |
1
Long Island City
37-34 33rd Street
$779,000
1 |
1
Flushing
138-32 Northern Boulevard
$797,500
1 |
1
Kew Gardens
118-82 Metropolitan Avenue
$825,000
3 |
2.5
Flushing
138-10 35th Avenue
$510,000
1 |
2
Little Neck
57-22 244th Street
$358,000
3 |
1
Rego Park
64-11 99th Street
$375,000
2 |
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!