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
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Central Harlem
203 West 144th Street
$2,200base rent
2 |
1
Yorkville
542 East 82nd Street
$3,065base rent
1 |
1
Lincoln Square
236 West 64th Street
$1,999base rent
Studio |
1
Yorkville
324 East 84th Street
$3,399base rent
1 |
1
East Village
244 E. Houston Street
$3,199base rent
Studio |
1
Upper West Side
410 West End Avenue
$2,400base rent
Studio |
1
Yorkville
412 East 83rd Street
$2,474base rent
Studio |
1
Central Harlem
143 West 143rd Street
$2,900base rent
3 |
1
Lenox Hill
1332 Third Avenue
$3,250base rent
Studio |
1
Murray Hill
304 East 41st Street
$2,550base rent
Studio |
1
Upper West Side
321 West 80th Street
$2,470base rent
Studio |
1
Hell’s Kitchen
363 West 46th Street
$2,550base 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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Weeksville
189 Utica Avenue
$2,400base rent
2 |
1
Flatbush
1129 Rogers Avenue
$2,567base rent
2 |
1
Prospect Heights
136 Prospect Place
$2,700base rent
Studio |
1
Prospect Park South
25 East 19th Street
$2,862base rent
Studio |
1
Bedford-Stuyvesant
1247 Atlantic Avenue
$2,699base rent
Studio |
1
Brighton Beach
210 Brighton 15th Street
$2,400base rent
1 |
1
Flatbush
1270 New York Avenue
$2,987base rent
2 |
1
Brighton Beach
211 Brighton 15th Street
$2,450base rent
1 |
1
Stuyvesant Heights
989 Putnam Avenue
$2,750base rent
1 |
1
Flatbush
1365 Nostrand Avenue
$2,958base rent
2 |
1
Bedford-Stuyvesant
197 Hancock Street
$2,500base rent
Studio |
1
Flatbush
1424 Flatbush Avenue
$2,750base rent
2 |
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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Jackson Heights
37-58 81st Street
$1,950base rent
1 |
1
Forest Hills
111-50 76 Road
$2,295base rent
Studio |
1
Rego Park
64-74 Saunders Street
$2,300base rent
1 |
1
Briarwood
82-24 135th Street
$1,999base rent
1 |
1
Maspeth
56-34 61st Street
$1,750base rent
Studio |
1
Murray Hill (Queens)
144-32 35th Avenue
$2,487base rent
1 |
1
Auburndale
47-11 190th Street
$2,400base rent
1 |
1
Jamaica Hills
164-20 Highland Avenue
$2,295base rent
1 |
1
Kew Gardens
83-83 118th Street
$2,250base rent
1 |
1
Flushing
143-40 41st Avenue
$2,250base rent
1 |
1
Fresh Meadows
192-24C 64th Circle
$2,350base rent
1 |
1
Fresh Meadows
192-24C 64th Circle
$1,950base 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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Turtle Bay
240 East 46th Street
$725,000
2 |
1
Kips Bay
368 Third Avenue
$1,350,000
1 |
1
Lenox Hill
401 East 60th Street
$900,000
1 |
1
Carnegie Hill
1065 Park Avenue
$649,000
Studio |
1
Midtown
117 East 57th Street
$799,000
Studio |
1
Midtown
247 West 46th Street
$1,138,000
1 |
1
East Harlem
342 East 110th Street
$550,000
1 |
1
Flatiron
4 West 21st Street
$1,495,000
2 |
3
Midtown
24 West 55th Street
$730,000
1 |
1
East Village
189 Avenue C
$850,000
2 |
1
Murray Hill
200 East 36th Street
$465,000
Studio |
1
Upper West Side
310 Riverside Drive
$789,000
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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Homecrest
2403 East 21st Street
$1,499,000
3 |
3
Homecrest
2227 East 15th Street
$1,188,000
4 |
2.5
Bergen Beach
7320 Avenue T
$989,000
3 |
2
Brighton Beach
1311 Brightwater Avenue
$849,000
2 |
2
Brooklyn Heights
70 Clark Street
$475,000
Studio |
1
East New York
965 Glenmore Avenue
$999,000
10 |
3
Crown Heights
811 Classon Avenue
$399,000
Studio |
1
Greenpoint
149 Greene Street
$1,395,000
2 |
2
Midwood
1180 Ocean Parkway
$440,000
2 |
1
Bergen Beach
26 Cove Lane
$765,000
3 |
2
Fort Greene
105 Ashland Place
$385,000
Studio |
1
Sheepshead Bay
2514 East 7th Street
$459,000
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
Sunnyside
52-14 39th Avenue
$380,000
1 |
1
Flushing
131-05 40th Road
$745,000
1 |
1
Murray Hill (Queens)
148-09 Northern Boulevard East
$800,000
2 |
2
Middle Village
60-70 Woodhaven Boulevard
$575,000
2 |
2
Astoria
31-14 Crescent Street
$388,888
1 |
1
Beechhurst
160-15 Powell Cove Boulevard
$315,000
1 |
1
Murray Hill (Queens)
144-30 Roosevelt Avenue
$418,000
1 |
1
Flushing
31-38 137th Street
$688,000
Studio |
1
Forest Hills
111-15 75th Avenue
$465,000
2 |
1
Rego Park
63-60 102nd Street
$518,888
2 |
1
Rego Park
65-70 Booth Street
$354,999
2 |
1
College Point
5-50 115th Street
$668,000
2 |
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!