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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NoMad
2 East 30th Street
$2,950base rent
Studio |
1
Kips Bay
220 East 24th Street
$3,400base rent
Studio |
1
West Village
729 Greenwich Street
$3,150base rent
Studio |
1
Yorkville
1575 Third Avenue
$2,600base rent
Studio |
1
East Village
232 East 2nd Street
$3,400base rent
Studio |
1
Lenox Hill
210 East 67th Street
$2,875base rent
Studio |
1
Upper East Side
1264 Lexington Avenue
$3,495base rent
Studio |
1
Central Harlem
307 West 137th Street
$3,250base rent
1 |
1
Yorkville
336 East 95th Street
$2,600base rent
Studio |
1
East Village
107 East 2nd Street
$3,200base rent
Studio |
1
NoMad
111 East 26th Street
$3,250base rent
Studio |
1
Lenox Hill
250 East 75th Street
$2,995base rent
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
1916 K Avenue
$2,400base rent
1 |
1
Ocean Hill
192 Rockaway Avenue
$2,750base rent
2 |
1
Bushwick
1505 Broadway
$2,800base rent
2 |
1
Ocean Hill
486 Marion Street
$2,495base rent
1 |
1
Stuyvesant Heights
778 Lafayette Avenue
$2,700base rent
1 |
1
Sunset Park
848 45th Street
$2,349base rent
1 |
1
Stuyvesant Heights
22A Patchen Avenue
$2,895base rent
1 |
1
Bushwick
1408 Bushwick Avenue
$2,595base rent
2 |
1
Bushwick
1408 Bushwick Avenue
$2,596base rent
2 |
1
Brooklyn Heights
25 Willow Place
$2,200base rent
1 |
1
Brooklyn Heights
25 Willow Place
$2,600base rent
2 |
1
East Flatbush
3415 Farragut Road
$2,799base 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.
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Fresh Meadows
196-31 73rd Avenue
$2,250base rent
1 |
1
Astoria
30-10 42nd Street
$2,100base rent
1 |
1
Ditmars-Steinway
21-35 24th Street
$1,750base rent
1 |
1
Forest Hills
108-17 72nd Avenue
$2,400base rent
1 |
1
Briarwood
84-31 Van Wyck Expressway
$1,900base rent
Studio |
1
Kew Gardens Hills
75-25 153rd Street
$2,000base rent
Studio |
1
Kew Gardens
85-10 120th Street
$1,950base rent
Studio |
1
Auburndale
58-41 192nd Street
$2,395base rent
1 |
1
Jackson Heights
33-35 76th Street
$2,375base rent
1 |
1
Rego Park
63-33 98 Place
$2,450base rent
Studio |
1
Ditmars-Steinway
20-59 33rd Street
$2,000base rent
1 |
1
Glendale
79-63 Myrtle Avenue
$2,000base 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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Lenox Hill
310 East 70th Street
$1,295,000
3 |
2
Lenox Hill
400 East 70th Street
$695,000
Studio |
1
Murray Hill
225 East 34th Street
$1,250,000
1 |
1
West Village
459 Hudson Street
$1,350,000
2 |
1
Yorkville
345 East 93rd Street
$750,000
2 |
1
Lower East Side
385 Grand Street
$745,000
1 |
1
Yorkville
222 East 80th Street
$1,050,000
1 |
1
Lenox Hill
174 East 74th Street
$1,100,000
2 |
2
Lenox Hill
509 East 77th Street
$369,000
1 |
1
Chelsea
85 Eighth Avenue
$595,000
Studio |
1
Lenox Hill
315 East 65th Street
$425,000
Studio |
1
Lenox Hill
370 East 76th Street
$650,000
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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Williamsburg
117 Powers Street
$995,000
1 |
1
Canarsie
10201 Avenue K
$999,999
4 |
2.5
Flatlands
1593 East 48th Street
$849,000
4 |
2
Brownsville
348 Legion Street
$1,375,000
9 |
4
Park Slope
186 Prospect Park West
$650,000
1 |
1
Fort Hamilton
9323 Shore Road
$975,000
3 |
2
Fort Hamilton
9323 Shore Road
$775,000
2 |
2
Brooklyn Heights
40 Clinton Street
$499,000
Studio |
1
Cobble Hill
417 Hicks Street
$500,000
1 |
1
Fort Hamilton
61 Oliver Street
$348,000
1 |
1
Bushwick
17 Dodworth Street
$695,000
2 |
1.5
Cypress Hills
35 Euclid Avenue
$1,289,000
7 |
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.
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Hunters Point
26-26 Jackson Avenue
$700,000
Studio |
1
Sunnyside
45-14 43rd Street
$539,000
2 |
1
Kew Gardens Hills
150-25 72 Road
$340,000
2 |
1
Astoria
21-22 33rd Avenue
$955,000
2 |
2
St. Albans
120-05 179th Street
$788,000
3 |
2.5
Sunnyside
47-39 40th Street
$499,000
1 |
1
Elmhurst
87-22 51st Avenue
$398,000
Studio |
1
St. Albans
111-20 199th Street
$998,000
3 |
2.5
Hunters Point
2-40 51st Avenue
$850,000
1 |
1
Rego Park
92-29 Queens Boulevard
$650,000
2 |
1.5
Rego Park
61-15 97th Street
$349,000
1 |
1
Jackson Heights
35-40 82nd Street
$550,000
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!