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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Washington Heights
531 West 159th Street
$2,850No Fee
1 |
1
Central Harlem
234 West 135th Street
$3,000No Fee
3 |
1
Hell’s Kitchen
886 Tenth Avenue
$2,900No Fee
Studio |
1
Upper West Side
120 West 78th Street
$3,100No Fee
1 |
1
Upper West Side
127 West 96th Street
$2,875No Fee
Studio |
1
Yorkville
526 East 85th Street
$2,875No Fee
2 |
1
Hudson Heights
712 West 175th Street
$2,400No Fee
1 |
1
Central Harlem
161 West 133rd Street
$2,700No Fee
1 |
1.5
Yorkville
415 East 81st Street
$3,025No Fee
1 |
1
Turtle Bay
348 East 49th Street
$3,495No Fee
1 |
1
Hamilton Heights
558 West 150th Street
$3,375No Fee
2 |
1
Central Harlem
45 East 135th Street
$2,800No Fee
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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Bushwick
115 Stanwix Street
$2,998No Fee
1 |
1
Williamsburg
392 South 5th Street
$2,769No Fee
1 |
1
Weeksville
145 Utica Avenue
$2,199No Fee
Studio |
1
Bensonhurst
1938 82nd Street
$1,749No Fee
1 |
1
Flatbush
2156 Cortelyou Road
$1,754No Fee
Studio |
1
Greenwood
321 22nd Street
$2,650No Fee
2 |
1
Gowanus
500 Fourth Avenue
$2,950No Fee
Studio |
1
Crown Heights
1499 Bedford Avenue
$2,435No Fee
Studio |
1
Crown Heights
940 Prospect Place
$2,750No Fee
Studio |
1
Sunset Park
521 55th Street
$2,600No Fee
3 |
1
Park Slope
375 Dean Street
$2,999No Fee
Studio |
1
Bushwick
1209 Putnam Avenue
$2,550No Fee
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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Jackson Heights
35-20 73rd Street
$2,300No Fee
1 |
1
Astoria
44-15 34th Avenue
$1,850No Fee
Studio |
1
Ditmars-Steinway
23-54 Crescent Street
$1,800No Fee
Studio |
1
Forest Hills
68-39 Clyde Street
$2,200No Fee
1 |
1
Middle Village
60-14 84th Street
$1,950No Fee
1 |
1
Rego Park
65-11 Booth Street
$2,400No Fee
1 |
1
Ditmars-Steinway
21-22 29th Street
$2,300No Fee
1 |
1
Jackson Heights
37-10 95th Street
$1,650No Fee
Studio |
1
Woodside
39-75 56th Street
$2,100No Fee
1 |
1
Woodside
39-11 62nd Street
$2,150No Fee
1 |
1
Astoria
32-33 32nd Street
$2,000No Fee
Studio |
1
Jackson Heights
88-01 35th Avenue
$2,300No Fee
2 |
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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West Village
107 Morton Street
$999,000
2 |
1.5
Hell’s Kitchen
350 West 42nd Street
$725,000
Studio |
1
Gramercy Park
160 East 22nd Street
$1,495,000
1 |
1
Yorkville
200 East 90th Street
$650,000
1 |
1
Chelsea
255 West 23rd Street
$575,000
Studio |
1
Manhattanville
541 West 133rd Street
$325,000
1 |
1
Upper West Side
609 Columbus Avenue
$575,000
1 |
1
Midtown South
425 Fifth Avenue
$1,150,000
1 |
1
Lower East Side
550 Grand Street
$850,000
2 |
1
Murray Hill
235 East 40th Street
$829,500
1 |
1
Lenox Hill
27 East 65th Street
$695,000
1 |
1
West Chelsea
520 West 23rd Street
$800,000
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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Seagate
3705 Lyme Avenue
$920,000
4 |
3
Windsor Terrace
176 Seeley Street
$599,000
1 |
1
Bushwick
40 Schaefer Street
$629,000
1 |
1
Bushwick
40 Schaefer Street
$599,000
1 |
1
Park Slope
808 Eighth Avenue
$1,349,000
3 |
1
Clinton Hill
210 Clinton Avenue
$895,000
2 |
1
Bushwick
87A Cooper Avenue
$975,000
2 |
2
Bushwick
87A Cooper Avenue
$745,000
2 |
2
Bergen Beach
7119 Avenue Y
$1,429,000
4 |
3.5
Crown Heights
954 Bergen Street
$695,000
1 |
1
Coney Island
2935 West 5th Street
$539,000
2 |
1
Bath Beach
1950 20 Drive
$1,199,000
3 |
2
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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Ozone Park
98-15 Albert Road
$877,000
2 |
1
Briarwood
140-50 Burden Crescent
$419,999
2 |
2
Richmond Hill
104-59 88th Avenue
$980,000
7 |
3
Hunters Point
26-26 Jackson Avenue
$925,000
1 |
1
Murray Hill (Queens)
155-17 Sanford Avenue
$338,000
2 |
1
Forest Hills
102-30 66 Road
$498,888
1 |
1
Forest Hills
108-20 71st Avenue
$765,000
1 |
1
Astoria
33-55 14th Street
$650,000
2 |
1
Astoria
33-65 14th Street
$489,000
2 |
1
Jackson Heights
35-27 76th Street
$867,000
2 |
2
Lindenwood
155-31 84th Street
$319,000
3 |
1
Jackson Heights
37-52 85th Street
$670,000
2 |
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!