NYC Life

10 Easy Gift Ideas for New Yorkers (or the NYC-Obsessed)

By StreetEasy Team December 5, 2023

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

Murray Hill

150 East 37th Street

$2,995 No Fee

Studio |

1

Upper West Side

170 West 74th Street

$3,200 No Fee

1 |

1

Manhattanville

3333B Broadway

$2,250 No Fee

Studio |

1

Kips Bay

251 East 32nd Street

$2,550 No Fee

Studio |

1

Roosevelt Island

546 Main Street

$2,800 No Fee

Studio |

1

Hamilton Heights

523 West 135th Street

$2,669 No Fee

2 |

1

Lenox Hill

265 East 78th Street

$2,725 No Fee

1 |

1

Lenox Hill

37 East 65th Street

$3,275 No Fee

Studio |

1

Greenwich Village

176 Thompson Street

$3,125 No Fee

1 |

1

Lenox Hill

516 East 79th Street

$2,850 No Fee

1 |

1

South Harlem

162 Lenox Avenue

$2,500 No Fee

1 |

1

Yorkville

432 East 89th Street

$2,507 No 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.

^{@nytransitmuseum via Instagram}

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.

Flatbush

2708 Snyder Avenue

$2,908 No Fee

2 |

1

Park Slope

351 Prospect Avenue

$2,212 No Fee

1 |

1

Fort Hamilton

9303 Shore Road

$2,300 No Fee

1 |

1

Stuyvesant Heights

312 Decatur Street

$2,650 No Fee

1 |

1

Canarsie

663 East 104th Street

$2,800 No Fee

2 |

1

Crown Heights

931 Carroll Street

$2,616 No Fee

1 |

1

Gowanus

111 15th Street

$2,700 No Fee

2 |

1

Stuyvesant Heights

550 Kosciusko Street

$2,095 No Fee

1 |

1

Ditmas Park

570 Westminster Road

$2,950 No Fee

1 |

1

Ditmas Park

738 East 22nd Street

$1,695 No Fee

Studio |

1

Greenpoint

64 Eckford Street

$2,900 No Fee

1 |

1

Stuyvesant Heights

509 Vanburen Street

$2,361 No 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.

Oakland Gardens

67-40 223 Place

$2,300 No Fee

1 |

1

Rego Park

64-48 Booth Street

$1,750 No Fee

Studio |

1

Jamaica Hills

164-20 Highland Avenue

$1,875 No Fee

1 |

1

Rego Park

65-20 Booth Street

$2,108 No Fee

1 |

1

St. Albans

114-34 Farmers Boulevard

$1,550 No Fee

1 |

1

Murray Hill (Queens)

189-14 Crocheron Avenue

$2,350 No Fee

1 |

1

Pomonok

158-29 76th Avenue

$1,900 No Fee

1 |

1

Ditmars-Steinway

18-55 21 Drive

$2,400 No Fee

2 |

1

Astoria

26-31 3rd Street

$2,250 No Fee

Studio |

1

Forest Hills

111-14 76th Avenue

$2,100 No Fee

1 |

1

Jackson Heights

37-10 95th Street

$1,750 No Fee

1 |

1

Ridgewood

61-28 Madison Street

$2,452 No Fee

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.

Lenox Hill

353 East 72nd Street

$729,000

1 |

1

Murray Hill

288 Lexington Avenue

$599,000

1 |

1

Murray Hill

135 East 39th Street

$500,000

1 |

1

Lenox Hill

404 East 66th Street

$560,000

Studio |

1

Yorkville

515 East 79th Street

$1,250,000

2 |

2.5

Lower East Side

202 Broome Street

$950,000

Studio |

1

Hell’s Kitchen

547 West 47th Street

$780,000

Studio |

1

Lenox Hill

400 East 70th Street

$770,000

1 |

1

East Village

253 East Seventh Street

$1,099,000

1 |

1

Hell’s Kitchen

457 West 57th Street

$300,000

Studio |

1

Lenox Hill

167 East 67th Street

$995,000

1 |

1

South Harlem

45 Central Park North

$685,000

2 |

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!).

Clinton Hill

361 Clinton Avenue

$735,000

1 |

1

Midwood

1717 Avenue N

$369,000

Studio |

1

Sunset Park

363 59th Street

$1,218,000

6 |

6

Red Hook

362 Van Brunt Street

$960,000

Studio |

1.5

Mill Basin

2136 East 63rd Street

$1,152,000

3 |

2

Fort Hamilton

149 Marine Avenue

$519,000

2 |

1.5

Gravesend

2139 West 10th Street

$1,250,000

3 |

2

Sheepshead Bay

2841 Ford Street

$699,000

2 |

2

DUMBO

85 Adams Street

$995,000

1 |

1

Kensington

110 Ocean Parkway

$535,000

1 |

1

Flatbush

3102 Snyder Avenue

$1,299,000

8 |

4.5

Farragut

579 East 43rd Street

$799,000

3 |

2.5

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.

Middle Village

66-60 80th Street

$429,000

1 |

1

Forest Hills

67-25 Clyde Street

$419,000

2 |

1.5

Astoria

25-25 31st Avenue

$749,000

1 |

1

Forest Hills

65-35 108th Street

$319,000

1 |

1

Jackson Heights

83-10 35th Avenue

$699,000

2 |

1

Floral Park

254-10 87 Drive

$728,000

3 |

1.5

Astoria

30-57 Crescent Street

$850,000

1 |

1

Long Island City

37-34 33rd Street

$825,000

1 |

1

Forest Hills

110-50 71 Road

$415,000

2 |

1

Pomonok

71-19 162nd Street

$448,000

1 |

1

South Richmond Hill

103-28 115th Street

$699,000

3 |

2

Hamilton Beach

99-78 164 Road

$825,000

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.

^{Wally Gobetz via Flickr}

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!

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