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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Manhattan Rentals Under $3,500 on StreetEasyArticle continues below
Lenox Hill
436 East 75th Street
$2,995base rent
1 |
1
East Village
345 East 9th Street
$2,795base rent
Studio |
1
Murray Hill
325 East 41st Street
$3,295base rent
Studio |
1
Flatiron
35 West 16th Street
$3,195base rent
Studio |
1
Upper West Side
216 West 100th Street
$2,500base rent
Studio |
1
Washington Heights
572 West 173rd Street
$3,150base rent
3 |
1
Upper West Side
784 Columbus Avenue
$3,111base rent
Studio |
1
Hudson Yards
445 West 36th Street
$2,850base rent
Studio |
1
Hell’s Kitchen
325 West 43rd Street
$3,100base rent
1 |
1
Chelsea
335 West 20th Street
$3,000base rent
Studio |
1
East Village
512 East 12th Street
$2,850base rent
1 |
1
Roosevelt Island
888 Main Street
$3,373base rent
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.
Brooklyn Rentals Under $3,000 on StreetEasyArticle continues below
Bushwick
67 Granite Street
$2,740base rent
2 |
1
Wingate
741 Fenimore Street
$2,500base rent
1 |
1.5
Bedford-Stuyvesant
928 Myrtle Avenue
$2,450base rent
2 |
1
Flatbush
2204 Clarendon Road
$1,999base rent
1 |
1
Fort Hamilton
8703 Fifth Avenue
$2,350base rent
2 |
1
Fort Hamilton
8705 Fifth Avenue
$1,900base rent
1 |
1
Gravesend
1858 West 11th Street
$2,500base rent
2 |
1
Park Slope
43 Prospect Place
$2,700base rent
Studio |
1
Bay Ridge
160 72nd Street
$2,450base rent
1 |
1
Crown Heights
1506 Saint Marks Avenue
$2,800base rent
2 |
1
Greenwood
779 Fourth Avenue
$2,799base rent
2 |
1
Stuyvesant Heights
329 Mac Donough Street
$2,900base 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.
Queens Rentals Under $2,500 on StreetEasyArticle continues below
Jamaica
92-29 Guy R Brewer Boulevard
$2,379base rent
1 |
1
Jamaica
92-29 Guy R Brewer Boulevard
$2,383base rent
1 |
1
Jamaica
88-35 164th Street
$1,600base rent
Studio |
1
Astoria
27-02 Astoria Boulevard
$2,450base rent
1 |
1
Jamaica
139-47 88th Avenue
$1,675base rent
Studio |
1
Middle Village
85-18 60 Drive
$2,300base rent
1 |
1
Flushing
143-51 Roosevelt Avenue
$2,300base rent
1 |
1
Astoria
28-19 33rd Street
$2,400base rent
1 |
1
Woodhaven
85-40 Forest Parkway
$1,980base rent
1 |
1
Sunnyside
43-42 45th Street
$2,350base rent
Studio |
3
Oakland Gardens
61-37 224th Street
$2,350base rent
1 |
1
Maspeth
57-66 63rd Street
$2,100base rent
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.
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Financial District
20 West Street
$780,000
Studio |
1
Upper West Side
249 West 102nd Street
$575,000
1 |
1
Murray Hill
2 Tudor City Place
$510,000
Studio |
1
South Harlem
300 West 122nd Street
$890,000
1 |
1
Sutton Place
150 East 56th Street
$895,000
1 |
1
Turtle Bay
255 East 49th Street
$949,000
1 |
1
Manhattan Valley
510 West 110th Street
$825,000
1 |
1
Morningside Heights
509 West 122nd Street
$725,000
2 |
1
Lincoln Square
2025 Broadway
$695,000
1 |
1
Battery Park City
280 Rector Place
$1,195,000
2 |
2
Hudson Heights
116 Pinehurst Avenue
$567,000
1 |
1
Lincoln Square
170 West End Avenue
$975,000
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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Midwood
1801 Ocean Avenue
$325,000
1 |
1
Sheepshead Bay
2570 East 17th Street
$700,000
2 |
2
Farragut
1513 Brooklyn Avenue
$780,000
3 |
2.5
Homecrest
1840 East 13th Street
$345,000
1 |
1
Bay Ridge
7520 Ridge Boulevard
$379,000
1 |
1
Seagate
3912 Lyme Avenue
$899,000
3 |
1.5
Bushwick
383 Cornelia Street
$1,450,000
6 |
2
Crown Heights
679 Franklin Avenue
$780,000
1 |
1
Windsor Terrace
140 East Second Street
$625,000
1 |
1
Gravesend
2650 Ocean Parkway
$559,000
2 |
2
Williamsburg
195 South 4th Street
$415,000
1 |
1
Prospect Lefferts Gardens
246 Maple Street
$775,000
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.
Queens Homes Under $1M on StreetEasyArticle continues below
Beechhurst
7-24 166th Street
$380,000
2 |
1
Sunnyside
48-01 42nd Street
$845,000
3 |
1.5
Murray Hill (Queens)
34-25 150 Place
$570,000
2 |
2
Flushing
134-11 Franklin Avenue
$560,000
1 |
1
Flushing
134-11 Franklin Avenue
$585,000
1 |
1
Beechhurst
7-15 162nd Street
$389,000
1 |
1
Flushing
133-36 41 Road
$788,000
2 |
2
Beechhurst
10-24 166th Street
$445,000
2 |
1
Murray Hill (Queens)
35-08 146th Street
$739,000
2 |
2
Woodside
55-23 31st Avenue
$325,000
1 |
1
Oakland Gardens
73-19 220th Street
$385,000
2 |
1
Maspeth
64-51 59th Avenue
$619,000
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!