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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West Chelsea
402 West 22nd Street
$3,200base rent
Studio |
1
Hudson Heights
15 Magaw Place
$2,350base rent
1 |
1
Upper West Side
302 West 105th Street
$2,375base rent
Studio |
1
Manhattan Valley
850 Amsterdam Avenue
$2,750base rent
Studio |
1
Upper West Side
302 West 105th Street
$2,400base rent
Studio |
1
Yorkville
308 East 89th Street
$3,075base rent
1 |
1
Hell’s Kitchen
792 Ninth Avenue
$2,900base rent
Studio |
1
Washington Heights
140 Wadsworth Avenue
$2,400base rent
1 |
1
Washington Heights
140 Wadsworth Avenue
$2,600base rent
1 |
1
Upper West Side
41 West 86th Street
$3,128base rent
Studio |
1
Upper West Side
53 West 72nd Street
$2,700base rent
Studio |
1
Lenox Hill
1273 Third Avenue
$2,700base 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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Stuyvesant Heights
98 Malcolm X Boulevard
$1,897base rent
1 |
1
Prospect Lefferts Gardens
635 Flatbush Avenue
$2,600base rent
1 |
1
Flatbush
706 East 32nd Street
$2,450base rent
2 |
2
Stuyvesant Heights
366 Stockton Street
$2,995base rent
1 |
1
Midwood
959 East 14th Street
$1,600base rent
Studio |
1
Gravesend
21 Parkway Court
$2,199base rent
2 |
1
Ditmas Park
2105 Foster Avenue
$2,779base rent
3 |
1
Ditmas Park
2105 Foster Avenue
$2,193base rent
2 |
1
Flatbush
243 East 26th Street
$2,200base rent
Studio |
1
Bushwick
450 Suydam Street
$2,695base rent
1 |
1
Bushwick
315 Bleecker Street
$2,899base rent
2 |
1
Crown Heights
605 Saint John’s Place
$2,500base 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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Fresh Meadows
196-66 69th Avenue
$1,950base rent
Studio |
1
Fresh Meadows
196-66 69th Avenue
$2,300base rent
1 |
1
Kew Gardens
83-83 118th Street
$2,350base rent
1 |
1
Jamaica Hills
164-20 Highland Avenue
$1,750base rent
Studio |
1
Jamaica Estates
87-01 Midland Parkway
$2,250base rent
1 |
1
Astoria
31-77 33rd Street
$2,400base rent
1 |
1
Richmond Hill
85-31 115th Street
$1,995base rent
1 |
1
Richmond Hill
87-24 115th Street
$2,225base rent
1 |
1
Jamaica
88-50 179th Street
$2,100base rent
1 |
1
Auburndale
34-06 Jordan Street
$2,015base rent
1 |
1
Elmhurst
42-54 Judge Street
$2,089base rent
Studio |
1
Kew Gardens
83-67 116th Street
$2,060base 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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Battery Park City
225 Rector Place
$690,000
1 |
1
Murray Hill
630 First Avenue
$800,000
1 |
1
Morningside Heights
535 West 110th Street
$725,000
1 |
1
Lenox Hill
125 East 74th Street
$1,250,000
1 |
1
Greenwich Village
30 East Ninth Street
$1,425,000
2 |
1
Lenox Hill
175 East 74th Street
$1,299,000
2 |
2
Hell’s Kitchen
310 West 56th Street
$785,000
1 |
1
Hell’s Kitchen
786 Ninth Avenue
$649,000
2 |
1
Upper West Side
175 West 95th Street
$1,065,000
1 |
1
Manhattan Valley
300 Cathedral Parkway
$530,000
1 |
1
Turtle Bay
236 East 47th Street
$895,000
1 |
1
Lower East Side
266 East Broadway
$500,000
Studio |
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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Downtown Brooklyn
189 Bridge Street
$1,400,000
2 |
2
Coney Island
501 Surf Avenue
$475,000
1 |
1
Greenwood
814 Fifth Avenue
$999,999
1 |
1
Bedford-Stuyvesant
244 Franklin Avenue
$715,000
1 |
1
Bay Ridge
553 77th Street
$1,325,000
4 |
2.5
Sheepshead Bay
621 Avenue Y
$949,000
3 |
2
Bedford-Stuyvesant
201 Spencer Street
$995,000
2 |
1.5
East New York
580 Van Siclen Avenue
$495,000
3 |
2
Kensington
488 Ocean Parkway
$499,000
2 |
1
Williamsburg
19 North Henry Street
$899,000
1 |
1
Canarsie
108-13 Seaview Avenue
$339,000
1 |
1
Windsor Terrace
243 Macdonald Avenue
$645,000
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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Flushing
37-20 Prince Street
$729,000
2 |
1
Hunters Point
27-20 42nd Road
$975,000
1 |
1
Murray Hill (Queens)
144-49 Northern Boulevard
$957,600
2 |
2
Murray Hill (Queens)
144-49 Northern Boulevard
$730,000
1 |
1
Flushing
138-18 Northern Boulevard
$750,000
1 |
1
Flushing
35-06 Leavitt Street
$668,000
2 |
2
Ditmars-Steinway
76-12 Ditmars Boulevard
$435,000
1 |
1
Hunters Point
44-27 Purves Street
$659,000
Studio |
1
Forest Hills
72-10 112nd Street
$440,000
2 |
1
Corona
98-45 57th Avenue
$349,000
2 |
1
Kew Gardens
117-01 Parklane South
$350,000
1 |
1
Elmhurst
86-04 Grand Avenue
$499,000
1 |
1
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!