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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East Harlem
135 East 110th Street
$2,300base rent
1 |
1
Little Italy
169 Hester Street
$2,850base rent
1 |
1
Lenox Hill
324 East 73rd Street
$2,995base rent
1 |
1
Washington Heights
509 West 174th Street
$2,769base rent
2 |
1
East Harlem
304 Pleasant Avenue
$2,299base rent
Studio |
1
Upper West Side
142 West 80th Street
$3,400base rent
Studio |
1
Manhattan Valley
953 Amsterdam Avenue
$3,195base rent
1 |
1
Manhattan Valley
66 West 106th Street
$3,199base rent
1 |
1
Financial District
63 Wall Street
$3,300base rent
Studio |
1
Morningside Heights
1270 Amsterdam Avenue
$2,600base rent
Studio |
1
East Harlem
1998 Second Avenue
$3,195base rent
Studio |
1
East Harlem
2032 Second Avenue
$2,500base 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.
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Williamsburg
206 Scholes Street
$2,800base rent
1 |
1
East Flatbush
1565 New York Avenue
$2,500base rent
1 |
1
Bushwick
347 Linden Street
$2,799base rent
1 |
1
Flatlands
5622 Avenue J
$2,700base rent
2 |
1.5
Crown Heights
1167 Dean Street
$2,995base rent
1 |
1
Homecrest
2403 Avenue U
$2,200base rent
1 |
1
Bensonhurst
1654 81st Street
$2,200base rent
2 |
1
Crown Heights
915 Sterling Place
$2,045base rent
Studio |
1
Gravesend
1852 West 4th Street
$2,100base rent
1 |
1
East New York
431 Warwick Street
$2,945base rent
2 |
1
Ocean Hill
1420 Herkimer Street
$2,200base rent
1 |
1
Greenwood
299 18th Street
$2,700base 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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Oakland Gardens
67-23 223 Place
$2,474base rent
2 |
1
Elmhurst
53-11 90th Street
$2,350base rent
Studio |
1
Jamaica
89-25 162nd Street
$2,284base rent
1 |
1
Jamaica
147-40 Archer Avenue
$2,400base rent
Studio |
1
Astoria
30-18 43rd Street
$2,495base rent
1 |
1
Kew Gardens
83-61 116th Street
$2,472base rent
Studio |
1
Jamaica
153-10 88th Avenue
$2,454base rent
1 |
1
Jamaica
153-10 88th Avenue
$2,150base rent
Studio |
1
Jamaica Estates
177-30 Wexford Terrace
$2,429base rent
1 |
1
Jackson Heights
91-09 Roosevelt Avenue
$2,098base rent
Studio |
1
Kew Gardens
85-31 120th Street
$2,000base rent
Studio |
1
Astoria
35-28 33rd Street
$2,300base 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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Chelsea
100 West 15th Street
$995,000
Studio |
2
Upper West Side
33 Riverside Drive
$1,475,000
2 |
2
Lenox Hill
516 East 78th Street
$465,000
1 |
1
Greenwich Village
50 East Eighth Street
$610,000
1 |
1
Lenox Hill
166 East 61st Street
$500,000
Studio |
1
Midtown
136 East 56th Street
$1,360,000
2 |
2
Sutton Place
220 East 57th Street
$660,000
1 |
1
Lenox Hill
175 East 62nd Street
$1,390,000
2 |
2.5
Hudson Heights
160 Cabrini Boulevard
$425,000
1 |
1
South Harlem
245 West 115th Street
$350,000
1 |
1
Lincoln Square
119 West 71st Street
$1,395,000
2 |
1
Lincoln Square
161 West 61st Street
$895,000
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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Flatbush
1769 Nostrand Avenue
$1,300,000
6 |
3
Midwood
2712 Avenue I
$1,100,000
4 |
1.5
Downtown Brooklyn
189 Bridge Street
$1,300,000
2 |
2
Clinton Hill
185 Hall Street
$465,000
1 |
1
Sheepshead Bay
2453 Brigham Street
$999,000
4 |
3
Greenwood
431 36th Street
$1,499,000
5 |
4
Ditmas Park
1818 Newkirk Avenue
$775,000
3 |
1.5
Gerritsen Beach
27 Aster Court
$569,000
2 |
1
Bath Beach
8616 21st Avenue
$668,000
2 |
1
Homecrest
2217 East 14th Street
$1,488,000
2 |
1
Farragut
463 East 38th Street
$1,095,000
8 |
3
Flatbush
958 New York Avenue
$999,000
Studio |
0
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
Forest Hills
70-25 Yellowstone Boulevard
$470,000
2 |
1
Murray Hill (Queens)
34-25 150 Place
$368,000
1 |
1
Rego Park
99-40 63 Road
$325,000
2 |
1
Jackson Heights
77-12 35th Avenue
$595,000
2 |
1
Sunnyside
43-17 47th Street
$448,000
2 |
1
Cambria Heights
114-31 210th Street
$750,000
4 |
3
Flushing
134-05 Dahlia Avenue
$680,000
2 |
2
Sunnyside
39-25 51st Street
$389,000
1 |
1
Kew Gardens
83-60 118th Street
$319,999
1 |
1
Astoria
30-55 Vernon Boulevard
$798,000
1 |
1
Forest Hills
61-20 Grand Central Parkway
$449,000
2 |
2
Kew Gardens
84-25 118th Street
$335,000
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!