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
West Chelsea
458 West 20th Street
$2,499No Fee
Studio |
1
Hamilton Heights
503 West 148th Street
$2,250No Fee
1 |
1
Upper West Side
158 West 84th Street
$3,195No Fee
1 |
1
Washington Heights
511 West 175th Street
$3,300No Fee
4 |
1
Hudson Heights
711 West 190th Street
$2,500No Fee
2 |
1
Fort George
85 Fairview Avenue
$2,000No Fee
1 |
1
Hudson Heights
690 Fort Washington Avenue
$2,695No Fee
1 |
1
South Harlem
13 East 117th Street
$3,000No Fee
2 |
1
Midtown South
139 East 33rd Street
$2,995No Fee
Studio |
1
Lenox Hill
405 East 69th Street
$3,400No Fee
1 |
1
Central Harlem
51 East 131st Street
$2,995No Fee
1 |
1
Sutton Place
324 East 59th Street
$2,450No Fee
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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Bushwick
1369 Greene Avenue
$2,800No Fee
1 |
1
Greenpoint
18 Diamond Street
$2,750No Fee
1 |
1
Flatbush
3116 Clarendon Road
$2,852No Fee
2 |
1
Bay Ridge
565 80th Street
$2,400No Fee
2 |
1
Greenpoint
153 Dupont Street
$2,500No Fee
1 |
1
Homecrest
1820 East 19th Street
$2,800No Fee
2 |
2
Stuyvesant Heights
51 Mac Dougal Street
$2,300No Fee
1 |
1
East Flatbush
1249 New York Avenue
$2,299No Fee
Studio |
1
Bay Ridge
7002 Ridge Boulevard
$1,900No Fee
1 |
1
East Flatbush
1249 New York Avenue
$2,499No Fee
1 |
1
Flatbush
185 Veronica Place
$2,649No Fee
2 |
1
Flatbush
204 Linden Boulevard
$2,599No Fee
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
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
35-38 75th Street
$1,600No Fee
Studio |
1
Elmhurst
56-09 84th Street
$2,200No Fee
1 |
1
Astoria
23-39 31 Drive
$2,350No Fee
1 |
1
Kew Gardens
83-71 116th Street
$2,200No Fee
1 |
1
Astoria
25-36 38th Street
$2,200No Fee
1 |
1
Kew Gardens
132-77 Metropolitan Avenue
$2,288No Fee
Studio |
1
Jamaica
88-50 179th Street
$1,650No Fee
Studio |
1
Astoria
25-50 41st Street
$1,700No Fee
Studio |
1
Sunnyside
39-54 51st Street
$2,350No Fee
1 |
1
Rego Park
62-64 Saunders Street
$2,000No Fee
1 |
1
Astoria
37-16 Astoria Boulevard S
$2,000No Fee
1 |
1
Kew Gardens Hills
78-05 Park Drive East
$2,400No Fee
1 |
1
NYC photography
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
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
Upper West Side
204 West 92nd Street
$774,995
1 |
1
Battery Park City
250 South End Avenue
$1,295,000
2 |
2
Murray Hill
23 East 37th Street
$495,000
1 |
1
Turtle Bay
310 East 46th Street
$899,000
1 |
1
Lincoln Square
30 West 61st Street
$1,485,000
1 |
1.5
Upper West Side
204 West 92nd Street
$999,000
1 |
1
Lincoln Square
180 West End Avenue
$1,250,000
2 |
1
Midtown
58 West 58th Street
$1,099,000
1 |
1
Lenox Hill
55 East 76th Street
$950,000
2 |
1
West Village
815 Greenwich Street
$929,000
1 |
1
Hudson Yards
430 West 34th Street
$1,250,000
2 |
2
Beekman
434 East 52nd Street
$785,000
1 |
1
Broadway tickets
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
Downtown Brooklyn
189 Bridge Street
$805,000
1 |
1.5
Stuyvesant Heights
686 Mac Donough Street
$465,000
Studio |
1
Marine Park
2184 Ryder Street
$779,000
3 |
2
Canarsie
1518 Canarsie Road
$925,000
6 |
3
Coney Island
501 Surf Avenue
$770,000
2 |
1.5
Fort Hamilton
338 101st Street
$675,000
2 |
2
Ocean Hill
210 Hull Street
$450,000
2 |
1
Stuyvesant Heights
841 Willoughby Avenue
$1,395,000
3 |
1.5
East Flatbush
8 East 53rd Street
$999,999
4 |
3
Windsor Terrace
1139 Prospect Avenue
$885,000
1 |
1
Williamsburg
429 Kent Avenue
$975,000
1 |
1
Bay Ridge
133 84th Street
$1,449,000
3 |
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.
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
220-33 73rd Avenue
$305,000
2 |
1
Astoria
24-75 38th Street
$420,000
1 |
1
Ditmars-Steinway
21-16 35th Street
$385,000
2 |
1
Bellerose
80-38 234th Street
$939,000
3 |
2.5
Astoria
33-34 Crescent Street
$500,000
2 |
1
Astoria
34-32 35th Street
$799,000
1 |
1
Jamaica
109-48 164th Street
$729,000
3 |
2.5
Forest Hills
100-11 67 Road
$330,000
1 |
1
Flushing
29-30 138th Street
$319,000
1 |
1
Arverne
450 Beach 65th Street
$599,000
3 |
2
Queens Village
217-22 102nd Avenue
$859,000
4 |
3
Briarwood
87-51 139th Street
$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!