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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Hudson Heights
728 West 181st Street
$2,350No Fee
1 |
1
Lower East Side
148 Orchard Street
$2,450No Fee
Studio |
1
Turtle Bay
310 East 44th Street
$2,775No Fee
Studio |
1
Central Harlem
217 West 145th Street
$1,200No Fee
1 |
1
Manhattan Valley
205 West 109th Street
$2,950No Fee
3 |
1
Central Harlem
215 West 145th Street
$2,250No Fee
2 |
1
Financial District
63 Wall Street
$3,347No Fee
Studio |
1
Hell’s Kitchen
345 West 53rd Street
$3,125No Fee
1 |
1
Washington Heights
467 West 164th Street
$1,969No Fee
2 |
1
Chelsea
110 Ninth Avenue
$3,450No Fee
1 |
1
Morningside Heights
550 Riverside Drive
$3,300No Fee
1 |
1
Central Harlem
103 West 137th Street
$2,175No Fee
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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Midwood
1414 East 12th Street
$1,950No Fee
1 |
1
Cypress Hills
3059 Fulton Street
$1,550No Fee
Studio |
1
Bushwick
1150 De Kalb Avenue
$2,095No Fee
Studio |
1
East Williamsburg
393 Bushwick Avenue
$2,800No Fee
2 |
1
Flatbush
1558 Nostrand Avenue
$2,500No Fee
1 |
1
Ocean Hill
542 Chauncey Street
$2,799No Fee
2 |
1
Flatbush
2316 Clarendon Road
$2,401No Fee
Studio |
1
Ocean Hill
214 Sumpter Street
$2,900No Fee
2 |
2
Park Slope
372 Fifth Avenue
$2,700No Fee
1 |
1
Prospect Lefferts Gardens
1193 Nostrand Avenue
$2,699No Fee
1 |
1.5
Gravesend
2444 East 1st Street
$2,800No Fee
2 |
1.5
Wingate
741 Fenimore Street
$2,500No Fee
2 |
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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Forest Hills
103-19 68 Road
$1,800No Fee
Studio |
1
North Corona
104-64 39th Avenue
$1,950No Fee
1 |
1
Ditmars-Steinway
22-12 36th Street
$2,450No Fee
1 |
1
Astoria
26-25 3rd Street
$2,299No Fee
Studio |
1
Briarwood
84-27 Lander Street
$1,895No Fee
1 |
1
Forest Hills
113-16 76 Road
$2,175No Fee
1 |
1
Astoria
25-50 30 Road
$2,350No Fee
1 |
1
Kew Gardens
83-15 116th Street
$2,308No Fee
2 |
1
Kew Gardens
83-15 116th Street
$1,895No Fee
1 |
1
East Flushing
40-41 190th Street
$2,087No Fee
1 |
1
Rockaway Park
117-12 Ocean Pm
$1,500No Fee
Studio |
1
Kew Gardens
118-80 Metropolitan Avenue
$1,995No 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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South Harlem
130 Lenox Avenue
$550,000
2 |
1
Lincoln Square
220 Riverside Boulevard
$1,475,000
1 |
1.5
Midtown
465 Park Avenue
$595,000
2 |
2
Morningside Heights
600 West 115th Street
$1,395,000
2 |
1
Lincoln Square
39 West 67th Street
$1,400,000
2 |
2
Yorkville
415 East 82nd Street
$489,000
1 |
1
Lincoln Square
60 Riverside Boulevard
$1,349,000
1 |
1
Sutton Place
50 Sutton Place South
$620,000
1 |
1
West Chelsea
400 West 23rd Street
$975,000
1 |
1
Hamilton Heights
515 West 135th Street
$350,000
3 |
1
South Harlem
208 West 119th Street
$625,000
2 |
1
Hell’s Kitchen
340 West 57th Street
$560,000
Studio |
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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Flatlands
4422 Avenue M
$979,000
3 |
2.5
Park Slope
701 Union Street
$895,000
Studio |
1.5
Coney Island
2325 Mermaid Avenue
$1,150,000
4 |
4.5
Coney Island
2323 Mermaid Avenue
$1,150,000
4 |
4.5
Williamsburg
480 Kent Avenue
$715,000
Studio |
1
Williamsburg
480 Kent Avenue
$760,000
Studio |
1
Ocean Hill
1325 Herkimer Street
$515,000
1 |
1
Canarsie
152 East 88th Street
$840,000
6 |
2
Gravesend
2133 West 10th Street
$1,295,000
3 |
2
Brighton Beach
40 Brighton 1st Road
$525,000
1 |
1
Bath Beach
292 Bay 10th Street
$1,390,000
4 |
3.5
Sunset Park
255 50th Street
$799,900
4 |
3
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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Ozone Park
133-25 84th Street
$799,000
3 |
3
Ozone Park
133-25 84th Street
$799,000
3 |
3
Forest Hills
118-17 Union Tnpk
$539,000
2 |
2
Kew Gardens Hills
79-06 Main Street
$375,000
2 |
1
Astoria
11-32 31st Avenue
$798,000
1 |
1
Astoria
11-32 31st Avenue
$760,000
1 |
1
Whitestone
150-26 Eighth Avenue
$999,000
2 |
1
Whitestone
151-27 Twelfth Avenue
$819,000
3 |
1.5
Sunnyside
39-30 52nd Street
$370,000
1 |
1
Rego Park
97-37 63 Road
$425,000
2 |
1
Glen Oaks
269 Grand Central Parkway
$579,000
1 |
1.5
Glen Oaks
270-10 Grand Central Parkway
$595,000
1 |
1.5
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!