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
Hamilton Heights
500 West 140th Street
$2,250base rent
1 |
1
Lenox Hill
428 East 66th Street
$2,150base rent
Studio |
1
Washington Heights
448 West 167th Street
$2,895base rent
1 |
1
Manhattan Valley
109 West 104th Street
$2,500base rent
Studio |
1
Morningside Heights
509 Cathedral Parkway
$3,200base rent
Studio |
1
Lenox Hill
348 East 66th Street
$2,750base rent
1 |
1
Hamilton Heights
76 Saint Nicholas’ Place
$2,800base rent
2 |
1
Lenox Hill
500 East 74th Street
$3,000base rent
1 |
1
East Village
542 East 11th Street
$2,595base rent
Studio |
1
Murray Hill
155 East 38th Street
$3,200base rent
Studio |
1
Inwood
60 Seaman Avenue
$2,895base rent
1 |
1
West Chelsea
416 West 25th Street
$2,000base 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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Sunset Park
537 49th Street
$2,600base rent
2 |
1
Columbia St Waterfront District
78 Congress Street
$2,700base rent
Studio |
1
Crown Heights
791 Sterling Place
$2,449base rent
Studio |
1
Sunset Park
715 41st Street
$2,700base rent
2 |
1
Bay Ridge
7200 Ridge Boulevard
$2,850base rent
2 |
1
Carroll Gardens
356 Degraw Street
$2,800base rent
Studio |
1
Bushwick
1333 Broadway
$2,875base rent
Studio |
1
Kensington
490 Ocean Parkway
$2,450base rent
2 |
1
Bushwick
1333 Broadway
$2,603base rent
Studio |
1
Kensington
712 Ditmas Avenue
$2,200base rent
1 |
1
Bushwick
1333 Broadway
$2,603base rent
Studio |
1
Midwood
1043 East 12th Street
$2,200base 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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Astoria
25-31 30 Road
$2,200base rent
Studio |
1
Flushing
143-50 Barclay Avenue
$2,350base rent
1 |
1
Glendale
70-13 71 Place
$2,000base rent
1 |
1
Astoria
34-05 34th Street
$2,300base rent
1 |
1
Sunnyside
40-39 48th Street
$2,000base rent
Studio |
1
Elmhurst
90-32 53rd Avenue
$1,895base rent
Studio |
1
Astoria
31-55 36th Street
$2,400base rent
1 |
1
North Corona
112-45 39th Avenue
$1,650base rent
Studio |
1
Kew Gardens
118-60 Metropolitan Avenue
$2,000base rent
1 |
1
North Corona
37-53 99th Street
$2,000base rent
1 |
1
Astoria
46-08 30th Avenue
$2,001base rent
1 |
1
Astoria
31-39 34th Street
$2,400base 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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Yorkville
200 East End Avenue
$1,200,000
2 |
2
Sutton Place
400 East 56th Street
$725,000
1 |
1
Greenwich Village
69 West Ninth Street
$1,349,000
1 |
2
Midtown South
11 East 36th Street
$730,000
Studio |
1
Hudson Square
50 King Street
$565,000
Studio |
1
Hudson Heights
870 West 181st Street
$439,000
1 |
1
Carnegie Hill
130 East 94th Street
$1,450,000
2 |
2
Murray Hill
144 East 36th Street
$550,000
1 |
1
Roosevelt Island
555 Main Street
$440,000
Studio |
1
Morningside Heights
3115 Broadway
$745,000
3 |
2
Lenox Hill
200 East 61st Street
$1,450,000
1 |
1
Central Harlem
380 Lenox Avenue
$1,395,000
2 |
2
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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DUMBO
100 Jay Street
$1,275,000
1 |
1
Gravesend
310 Avenue X
$1,368,000
3 |
1.5
Seagate
3855 Lyme Avenue
$1,300,000
5 |
3.5
Park Slope
225 Lincoln Place
$899,000
2 |
1
Clinton Hill
361 Clinton Avenue
$799,000
1 |
1
Homecrest
2408 Ocean Avenue
$759,000
3 |
2.5
Gerritsen Beach
8 Lester Court
$729,999
4 |
2
Sunset Park
848 43rd Street
$449,999
2 |
1
Clinton Hill
195 Willoughby Avenue
$700,000
1 |
1
Clinton Hill
195 Willoughby Avenue
$425,000
Studio |
1
Sheepshead Bay
3368 Shore Parkway
$849,000
3 |
1.5
Clinton Hill
195 Willoughby Avenue
$1,125,000
2 |
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.
Queens Homes Under $1M on StreetEasyArticle continues below
Jackson Heights
37-50 87th Street
$355,000
1 |
1
Ridgewood
59-45 Woodbine Street
$999,000
5 |
2.5
Murray Hill (Queens)
32-31 163rd Street
$950,000
3 |
1.5
Maspeth
57-39 57 Road
$879,000
4 |
3
Flushing
33-71 Prince Street
$927,220
2 |
2
Kew Gardens Hills
150-40 71st Avenue
$325,000
2 |
1
Flushing
33-71 Prince Street
$981,710
2 |
2
Jackson Heights
37-32 89th Street
$515,000
1 |
2
St. Albans
112-30 200th Street
$875,000
6 |
3
North Corona
112-26 38th Avenue
$515,000
2 |
2
Flushing
33-71 Prince Street
$952,185
2 |
2
Flushing
33-71 Prince Street
$952,185
2 |
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.
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!