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
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East Village
230 East 2nd Street
$2,000No Fee
Studio |
1
Upper West Side
317 West 88th Street
$3,200No Fee
Studio |
1
West Village
23 Leroy Street
$3,495No Fee
1 |
1
Greenwich Village
25 West 13th Street
$3,395No Fee
Studio |
1
Nolita
202 Mott Street
$3,395No Fee
2 |
1
Upper West Side
2785 Broadway
$2,650No Fee
Studio |
1
Lenox Hill
410 East 75th Street
$3,195No Fee
1 |
1
Manhattan Valley
54 West 106th Street
$2,787No Fee
1 |
1
Washington Heights
501 West 169th Street
$2,000No Fee
2 |
1
Fort George
573 West 192nd Street
$1,800No Fee
1 |
1
East Harlem
154 East 106th Street
$1,975No Fee
Studio |
1
East Harlem
137 East 110th Street
$2,200No Fee
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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Gravesend
1991 West 10th Street
$1,695No Fee
1 |
1
Williamsburg
339 South 1st Street
$2,850No Fee
1 |
1
Borough Park
942 51st Street
$2,900No Fee
2 |
1
Stuyvesant Heights
545 Quincy Street
$2,800No Fee
2 |
1
Homecrest
1810 Haring Street
$1,995No Fee
2 |
1
Prospect Lefferts Gardens
1277 Nostrand Avenue
$1,950No Fee
1 |
1
Bedford-Stuyvesant
225 Madison Street
$2,595No Fee
1 |
1
Prospect Lefferts Gardens
664 New York Avenue
$2,900No Fee
1 |
1
Bath Beach
241 Bay 14th Street
$2,000No Fee
2 |
1
Weeksville
239 Troy Avenue
$2,200No Fee
1 |
1
Greenpoint
215 India Street
$2,800No Fee
1 |
1
Canarsie
933 East 101st Street
$1,600No Fee
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
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
37-33 College Point Boulevard
$2,450No Fee
2 |
1
Murray Hill (Queens)
151-10 35th Avenue
$1,900No Fee
1 |
1
Astoria
30-44 45th Street
$1,750No Fee
1 |
1
Forest Hills
65-10 108th Street
$2,400No Fee
1 |
1
Ozone Park
87-08 Pitkin Avenue
$2,075No Fee
1 |
1
Astoria
30-42 42nd Street
$1,750No Fee
1 |
1
Rego Park
65-41 Saunders Street
$2,275No Fee
1 |
1
Astoria
31-32 44th Street
$2,100No Fee
1 |
1
Jamaica
152-09 88th Avenue
$2,100No Fee
1 |
1
Jamaica
152-09 88th Avenue
$2,200No Fee
Studio |
1
Briarwood
82-45 135th Street
$1,950No Fee
1 |
1
Astoria
35-04 28th Avenue
$1,850No Fee
Studio |
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.
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Hell’s Kitchen
457 West 57th Street
$399,000
Studio |
1
Lincoln Square
8 West 65th Street
$679,000
2 |
1.5
Chelsea
270 West 17th Street
$1,197,500
1 |
1
Sutton Place
153 East 57th Street
$350,000
Studio |
1
Murray Hill
311 East 38th Street
$750,000
1 |
1
Kips Bay
330 Third Avenue
$700,000
1 |
1
Lenox Hill
181 East 73rd Street
$1,050,000
2 |
2
South Harlem
1919 Madison Avenue
$680,000
3 |
2
West Village
61 Jane Street
$1,350,000
1 |
1
Chelsea
200 West 20th Street
$575,000
1 |
1
West Village
708 Washington Street
$1,225,000
2 |
1
Carnegie Hill
1060 Park Avenue
$1,125,000
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!).
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Bay Ridge
7609 Fourth Avenue
$315,000
1 |
1
Flatbush
257 East 28th Street
$870,000
4 |
2
Bensonhurst
1534 West 9th Street
$1,325,000
3 |
2
Coney Island
2930 West 5th Street
$325,000
1 |
1
Bedford-Stuyvesant
169 Lexington Avenue
$1,100,000
2 |
2
Marine Park
2050 Kimball Street
$799,000
2 |
2.5
Homecrest
1971 Ford Street
$999,000
3 |
2.5
Coney Island
2928 West Fifth Street
$349,000
2 |
1
Crown Heights
823 Classon Avenue
$775,000
1 |
1
Boerum Hill
556 State Street
$1,249,550
2 |
2
Park Slope
719 Carroll Street
$1,250,000
2 |
1
Bushwick
1218 Putnam Avenue
$545,000
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.
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
88-12 Elmhurst Avenue
$388,000
2 |
1
Ditmars-Steinway
19-14 21 Road
$750,000
1 |
1
Bayside
43-14 208th Street
$998,000
4 |
3
Briarwood
147-16 Coolidge Avenue
$858,000
4 |
2.5
Ditmars-Steinway
22-25 75th Street
$495,000
1 |
1
Bay Terrace (Queens)
13-10 212nd Street
$535,000
2 |
1
Murray Hill (Queens)
144-44 Sanford Avenue
$329,000
1 |
1
Hollis
102-38 187th Street
$719,000
3 |
2
Jackson Heights
33-45 90th Street
$419,000
2 |
1
Arverne
611 Beach 65th Street
$549,000
3 |
3
Rockwood Park
158-11 78th Street
$939,000
4 |
2
Hunters Point
46-40 Vernon Boulevard
$850,000
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!