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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Hell’s Kitchen
538 West 50th Street
$2,700base rent
Studio |
1
Yorkville
1732 Second Avenue
$3,150base rent
1 |
1
East Harlem
225 East 111st Street
$3,300base rent
1 |
1
Washington Heights
522 West 158th Street
$2,550base rent
2 |
1
Central Harlem
100 West 143rd Street
$2,800base rent
2 |
1
Fort George
564 Audubon Avenue
$1,915base rent
1 |
1
Hell’s Kitchen
502 West 44th Street
$2,800base rent
Studio |
1
Upper West Side
53 West 72nd Street
$2,350base rent
Studio |
1
Soho
198 Sixth Avenue
$3,295base rent
Studio |
1
East Village
717 East 5th Street
$2,750base rent
1 |
1
Lenox Hill
403 East 78th Street
$3,295base rent
1 |
1
East Harlem
169 East 105th Street
$3,200base rent
2 |
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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Prospect Lefferts Gardens
100 Winthrop Street
$1,934base rent
1 |
1
Gravesend
2230 Cropsey Avenue
$2,725base rent
1 |
1
Gravesend
2230 Cropsey Avenue
$2,850base rent
1 |
1
Flatbush
987 Rogers Avenue
$2,600base rent
1 |
1.5
Crown Heights
1435 Carroll Street
$2,525base rent
2 |
1
East Flatbush
948 East 53rd Street
$1,800base rent
1 |
1
Ocean Hill
239 Sumpter Street
$2,950base rent
3 |
1
Crown Heights
1106 Saint Johns Place
$2,450base rent
1 |
1
Brownsville
24 East 91st Street
$1,600base rent
2 |
1
Flatbush
2901 Albemarle Road
$2,300base rent
Studio |
1
Crown Heights
516 Sterling Place
$2,900base rent
1 |
1
Flatbush
2328 Bedford Avenue
$2,800base 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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Astoria
32-75 31st Street
$2,060base rent
Studio |
1
Elmhurst
93-11 Lamont Avenue
$2,000base rent
1 |
1
Ditmars-Steinway
23-74 36th Street
$1,500base rent
Studio |
1
Richmond Hill
113-17 Jamaica Avenue
$1,750base rent
Studio |
1
Jamaica
89-61 162nd Street
$2,350base rent
1 |
1
Ridgewood
16-92 Linden Street
$1,900base rent
Studio |
1
Elmhurst
87-07 Elmhurst Avenue
$2,100base rent
1 |
1
Forest Hills
67-12 Yellowstone Boulevard
$2,495base rent
1 |
1
Sunnyside
45-25 42nd Street
$2,250base rent
Studio |
1
Woodhaven
86-30 98th Street
$1,800base rent
1 |
1
Sunnyside
45-25 42nd Street
$2,395base rent
1 |
1
Maspeth
57-66 63rd Street
$2,200base 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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Battery Park City
30 West Street
$1,150,000
1 |
1.5
Hell’s Kitchen
500 West 45th Street
$1,100,000
1 |
1
Sutton Place
250 East 54th Street
$1,155,000
1 |
1.5
Sutton Place
227 East 57th Street
$655,000
2 |
1
Murray Hill
166 East 35th Street
$490,000
1 |
1
Lenox Hill
243 East 77th Street
$899,000
2 |
1
Civic Center
170 Park Row
$1,200,000
2 |
1
Central Harlem
48 West 138th Street
$449,000
1 |
1
Midtown South
100 West 39th Street
$850,000
1 |
1
South Harlem
304 West 115th Street
$1,220,000
2 |
2
Battery Park City
99 Battery Place
$750,000
1 |
1
Hudson Heights
900 West 190th Street
$565,000
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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Park Slope
343 Fourth Avenue
$739,000
1 |
1
Bushwick
1027 Bushwick Avenue
$895,000
2 |
2
Bushwick
1027 Bushwick Avenue
$665,000
1 |
1
Clinton Hill
11 Irving Place
$689,000
1 |
1
Prospect Park South
15 East 19th Street
$585,000
1 |
1
Cypress Hills
93 Linwood Street
$850,000
3 |
1.5
Park Slope
445 Fifth Avenue
$889,500
1 |
1
Park Slope
225 Lincoln Place
$695,000
1 |
1
Bay Ridge
7609 Fourth Avenue
$325,000
1 |
1
Midwood
1495 East 15th Street
$1,250,000
4 |
3
Brighton Beach
35 Sea Coast Terrace
$429,000
1 |
1
Crown Heights
421 Crown Street
$428,000
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.
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Elmhurst
55-05 84th Street
$898,000
2 |
1.5
Murray Hill (Queens)
147-41 38th Avenue
$438,000
2 |
1
Kew Gardens
123-10 85th Avenue
$999,000
3 |
2.5
Kew Gardens Hills
144-49 77 Road
$359,000
2 |
1
Maspeth
60-13 53rd Street
$999,000
6 |
2.5
Corona
99-11 42nd Avenue
$965,000
11 |
6
Arverne
112 Beach 62nd Street
$450,000
2 |
1
Clearview
168-01 18th Avenue
$460,000
2 |
1
Flushing
140-39 34th Avenue
$340,000
2 |
1
Sunnyside
50-05 43rd Avenue
$375,000
1 |
1
Flushing
140-21 32nd Avenue
$720,000
2 |
2
South Jamaica
153-11 118th Avenue
$620,000
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!