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
Lower East Side
81 Ludlow Street
$3,075base rent
1 |
1
Yorkville
411 East 85th Street
$3,200base rent
1 |
1
Washington Heights
577 West 161st Street
$3,195base rent
1 |
1
South Harlem
2294 Frederick Douglas Boulevard
$2,600base rent
Studio |
1
Central Harlem
300 West 136th Street
$2,800base rent
Studio |
1
South Harlem
217 West 123rd Street
$2,500base rent
Studio |
1
Upper West Side
127 West 96th Street
$3,325base rent
Studio |
1
Manhattan Valley
132 West 109th Street
$2,895base rent
1 |
1
Chelsea
319 West 29th Street
$2,650base rent
Studio |
1
Hamilton Heights
550 West 146th Street
$3,300base rent
3 |
1
Fort George
564 Audobon Avenue
$2,550base rent
1 |
1
Yorkville
252 East 89th Street
$2,750base 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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Greenwood
719 Fifth Avenue
$2,499base rent
1 |
1
Stuyvesant Heights
509 Hancock Street
$2,800base rent
2 |
1
Stuyvesant Heights
27 Albany Avenue
$2,913base rent
1 |
1
Flatbush
800 Flatbush Avenue
$2,500base rent
Studio |
1
Bedford-Stuyvesant
437 Franklin Avenue
$2,750base rent
Studio |
1
Bushwick
57 Menahan Street
$2,750base rent
2 |
1.5
Bedford-Stuyvesant
139 Jefferson Avenue
$2,700base rent
1 |
1
Midwood
1615 Cedar Street
$2,900base rent
1 |
1
Midwood
1615 Cedar Street
$2,950base rent
1 |
1
Weeksville
1778 Bergan Street
$2,800base rent
2 |
1
East Flatbush
574 Schenectady Avenue
$2,495base rent
1 |
1
East Flatbush
3415 Farragut Road
$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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Elmhurst
90-23 51st Avenue
$2,100base rent
1 |
1
Maspeth
58-07 Metropolitan Avenue
$2,000base rent
1 |
1
Kew Gardens Hills
75-25 153rd Street
$2,200base rent
1 |
1
Elmhurst
86-11 Whitney Avenue
$1,590base rent
Studio |
1
Bayswater
32-20 Healey Avenue
$1,800base rent
1 |
1
Hollis
91-35 193rd Street
$1,750base rent
Studio |
1
Hollis
91-35 195th Street
$2,250base rent
2 |
1
Rego Park
63-89 Saunders Street
$2,350base rent
1 |
1
Jackson Heights
34-39 82nd Street
$2,375base rent
1 |
1
Jamaica Estates
177-18 Wexford Terrace
$2,170base rent
Studio |
1
Queens Village
221-37 90th Avenue
$2,350base rent
1 |
1
Woodhaven
86-22 90th Street
$2,025base 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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Civic Center
185 Park Row
$980,000
2 |
1
Inwood
631 Academy Street
$399,000
2 |
1
Lenox Hill
425 East 63rd Street
$749,000
1 |
1
Two Bridges
252 South Street
$1,350,000
1 |
1
East Harlem
353 E. 104th Street
$399,000
Studio |
1
Lenox Hill
353 East 72nd Street
$599,000
2 |
1
West Village
222 West 14th Street
$725,000
Studio |
1
Lenox Hill
907 Fifth Avenue
$1,375,000
1 |
1
Upper West Side
210 Riverside Drive
$1,150,000
1 |
1
Manhattan Valley
218 West 103rd Street
$1,495,000
1 |
1
South Harlem
92 Saint Nicholas’s Avenue
$348,000
4 |
1
Fulton/Seaport
99 John Street
$900,000
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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Canarsie
926 East 99th Street
$1,250,000
4 |
3
Midwood
1250 Ocean Parkway
$525,000
3 |
2
Kensington
345 Webster Avenue
$478,000
1 |
1
Bushwick
20 Melrose Street
$1,375,000
2 |
2
East Flatbush
140 East 52nd Street
$1,100,000
Studio |
1
Brownsville
113 Belmont Avenue
$1,199,000
6 |
3
Stuyvesant Heights
482 Hancock Street
$1,250,000
2 |
2
Stuyvesant Heights
482 Hancock Street
$1,495,000
2 |
2.5
Flatbush
1151 Rogers Avenue
$1,350,000
Studio |
1
East New York
159 Wyona Street
$990,000
10 |
3
Park Slope
707 Carroll Street
$1,100,000
2 |
1
Williamsburg
176 Frost Street
$1,150,000
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.
Queens Homes Under $1M on StreetEasyArticle continues below
North Corona
108-17 35th Avenue
$998,000
4 |
3.5
Astoria
30-78 29th Street
$875,000
1 |
1
Flushing
143-28 41st Avenue
$838,000
2 |
2
Flushing
143-28 41st Avenue
$490,000
1 |
1
Flushing
131-02 B 40 Road
$720,000
1 |
1
Forest Hills
105-37 64th Avenue
$335,000
1 |
1
Brookville
147-46 231st Street
$910,000
4 |
3
Astoria
24-51 38th Street
$650,000
2 |
1
Jamaica
111-34 140th Street
$929,888
4 |
2.5
Rego Park
62-54 97 Place
$760,000
2 |
1
Forest Hills
65-30 G C P
$368,000
2 |
1
Bay Terrace (Queens)
211-65 23rd Avenue
$450,000
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!