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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Turtle Bay
240 East 46th Street
$3,350base rent
Studio |
1
Chelsea
233 West 19th Street
$3,200base rent
Studio |
1
Midtown
57 West 58th Street
$2,800base rent
Studio |
1
Lenox Hill
1301 Third Avenue
$2,979base rent
1 |
1
Chelsea
237 West 18th Street
$3,200base rent
Studio |
1
Upper West Side
327 West 87th Street
$3,250base rent
Studio |
1
Inwood
10 Park Terrace East
$2,692base rent
1 |
1
Yorkville
1670 York Avenue
$3,195base rent
1 |
1
Murray Hill
535 Third Avenue
$3,495base rent
1 |
1
Upper West Side
313 West 105th Street
$2,750base rent
Studio |
1
Hudson Yards
462 Ninth Avenue
$3,195base rent
1 |
1
Hamilton Heights
467 West 147th Street
$2,195base 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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Bushwick
31 Woodbine Street
$2,995base rent
1 |
1
Flatbush
210 Clarkson Avenue
$2,460base rent
Studio |
1
Cypress Hills
234 Norwood Avenue
$2,995base rent
2 |
1
Crown Heights
647 Franklin Avenue
$2,795base rent
1 |
1
Flatbush
838 Flatbush Avenue
$2,300base rent
Studio |
1
Manhattan Beach
182 Beaumont Street
$2,400base rent
1 |
1
Midwood
1366 East Third Street
$2,999base rent
2 |
1
East Flatbush
824 East New York Avenue
$2,521base rent
1 |
1
Stuyvesant Heights
872 Dekalb Avenue
$2,300base rent
1 |
1
Greenwood
662 Fourth Avenue
$2,250base rent
1 |
1
Midwood
1320 Coney is Avenue
$1,941base rent
1 |
1
Flatbush
2605 Snyder Avenue
$2,400base rent
Studio |
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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Flushing
43-70 Kissena Boulevard
$2,131base rent
Studio |
1
Briarwood
83-19 141st Street
$2,000base rent
1 |
1
Flushing
43-44 Kissena Boulevard
$1,900base rent
Studio |
1
Astoria
34-09 42nd Street
$1,499base rent
Studio |
1
Jamaica
148-37 88th Avenue
$2,450base rent
1 |
1
Astoria
31-17 Crescent Street
$2,300base rent
1 |
1
Kew Gardens
119-05 Metropolitan Avenue
$2,300base rent
2 |
1
Elmhurst
41-98 Forley Street
$1,800base rent
Studio |
1
Jamaica
89-06 146th Street
$1,600base rent
Studio |
1
Briarwood
85-15 Main Street
$2,100base rent
Studio |
1
Forest Hills
108-49 63rd Avenue
$1,995base rent
1 |
1
Rego Park
63-45 Wetherole Street
$2,350base 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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South Harlem
245 West 115th Street
$379,000
Studio |
1
Beekman
414 East 52nd Street
$615,000
1 |
1
Upper West Side
76 West 85th Street
$695,000
1 |
1
Washington Heights
453 West 162nd Street
$999,999
12 |
12
West Village
299 West 12th Street
$1,450,000
Studio |
1
Murray Hill
110 East 36th Street
$540,000
Studio |
1
Lower East Side
500 Grand Street
$424,000
Studio |
1
Financial District
3 Hanover Square
$875,000
1 |
1
Midtown
117 East 57th Street
$1,100,000
1 |
1
Greenwich Village
55 East 9th Street
$1,400,000
2 |
1
Lenox Hill
300 East 74th Street
$1,395,000
2 |
1.5
Upper Carnegie Hill
1200 Fifth Avenue
$1,150,000
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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Midwood
915 East 17th Street
$599,000
2 |
2
Gowanus
500 Fourth Avenue
$1,275,000
2 |
2
East Williamsburg
100 Maspeth Avenue
$1,029,000
2 |
2
Sheepshead Bay
2615 Brown Street
$1,380,000
7 |
3
Williamsburg
659 Grand Street
$1,499,000
2 |
2
Downtown Brooklyn
85 Livingston Street
$895,000
2 |
1
Gowanus
554 Fourth Avenue
$775,000
1 |
1
East Flatbush
3605 Church Avenue
$825,000
1 |
1
Bedford-Stuyvesant
187 Pulaski Street
$849,000
2 |
2
Bedford-Stuyvesant
187 Pulaski Street
$999,000
2 |
1.5
Sheepshead Bay
3025 Ocean Avenue
$325,000
Studio |
1
Downtown Brooklyn
53 Boerum Place
$699,000
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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Elmhurst
85-14 Broadway
$455,000
2 |
1
Hunters Point
24-16 Queens Plaza South
$650,000
Studio |
1
Jackson Heights
33-15 81st Street
$430,000
2 |
1
Woodside
60-11 Broadway
$339,000
1 |
1
Rego Park
99-52 66th Rd
$649,000
3 |
2.5
Jackson Heights
72-15 37th Avenue
$369,000
Studio |
1
Far Rockaway
24-37 Beach Channel Drive
$999,000
6 |
5
Forest Hills
64-05 Yellowstone Boulevard
$569,000
1 |
1
Springfield Gardens
179-15 134th Avenue
$795,000
3 |
3
Hammels
91-16 Shore Frnt Parkway
$775,000
2 |
2
South Jamaica
145-08 123rd Avenue
$669,000
4 |
2
Rego Park
98-50 63 Drive
$425,000
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!