10 Easy Gift Ideas for New Yorkers (or the NYC-Obsessed)
By Dec. 5, 2023
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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Tribeca
295 Greenwich Street
$2,000base rent
1 |
1
Hudson Yards
408 West 39th Street
$2,895base rent
1 |
1
Hell’s Kitchen
424 West 57th Street
$3,200base rent
1 |
1
East Harlem
340 East 117th Street
$2,708base rent
Studio |
1
Lenox Hill
1109 First Avenue
$2,864base rent
1 |
1
East Harlem
2338 Second Avenue
$2,956base rent
2 |
1
Kips Bay
221 East 32nd Street
$2,673base rent
1 |
1
Yorkville
350 East 87th Street
$3,300base rent
1 |
1
East Village
93 East 7th Street
$2,500base rent
Studio |
1
Murray Hill
320 Lexington Avenue
$2,700base rent
1 |
1
Hell’s Kitchen
881 Tenth Avenue
$3,210base rent
Studio |
1
Lower East Side
86 Clinton Street
$3,050base 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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Brownsville
56 Rockaway Parkway
$1,810base rent
1 |
1
Downtown Brooklyn
111 Willoughby Street
$2,950base rent
Studio |
1
Downtown Brooklyn
111 Willoughby Street
$2,950base rent
Studio |
1
Downtown Brooklyn
111 Willoughby Street
$2,950base rent
Studio |
1
Downtown Brooklyn
111 Willoughby Street
$2,950base rent
Studio |
1
Downtown Brooklyn
111 Willoughby Street
$2,950base rent
Studio |
1
Downtown Brooklyn
111 Willoughby Street
$2,950base rent
Studio |
1
Downtown Brooklyn
111 Willoughby Street
$2,950base rent
Studio |
1
Downtown Brooklyn
111 Willoughby Street
$2,950base rent
Studio |
1
Downtown Brooklyn
111 Willoughby Street
$2,950base rent
Studio |
1
Downtown Brooklyn
111 Willoughby Street
$2,950base rent
Studio |
1
Downtown Brooklyn
111 Willoughby Street
$2,950base rent
Studio |
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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Clearview
15-15 201st Street
$1,700base rent
Studio |
1
Ridgewood
66-68 Fresh Pond Road
$2,495base rent
1 |
1
Rego Park
63-45 Wetherole Street
$2,400base rent
1 |
1
Astoria
11-24 31 Drive
$2,340base rent
Studio |
1
Rockaway All
98-18 Shore Front Parkway
$1,700base rent
Studio |
1
Kew Gardens
85-21 Lefferts Boulevard
$2,200base rent
1 |
1
Ditmars-Steinway
20-62 26th Street
$1,900base rent
Studio |
1
Ditmars-Steinway
19-19 21 Road
$2,200base rent
1 |
1
East Flushing
140-18 Ash Avenue
$1,900base rent
Studio |
1
East Flushing
170-20 Lithonia Avenue
$1,850base rent
Studio |
1
Forest Hills
111-23 76 Road
$2,295base rent
Studio |
1
Middle Village
85-19 60 Drive
$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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Yorkville
330 East 83rd Street
$435,000
Studio |
1
Greenwich Village
211 Thompson Street
$1,225,000
1 |
2
Lenox Hill
520 East 76th Street
$375,000
Studio |
1
Lenox Hill
1175 York Avenue
$1,150,000
2 |
2
Central Harlem
130 Bradhurst Avenue
$795,000
3 |
2
Lincoln Square
235 West 70th Street
$750,000
1 |
1
Murray Hill
310 Lexington Avenue
$475,000
Studio |
1
Midtown
18 West 48th Street
$1,175,000
1 |
1.5
Lenox Hill
330 East 75th Street
$850,000
1 |
1
Murray Hill
7 Park Avenue
$600,000
1 |
1
Flatiron
50 Lexington Avenue
$665,000
1 |
1
Financial District
123 Washington Street
$1,049,000
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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Brighton Beach
286 Corbin Place
$599,000
2 |
1
Crown Heights
960 Sterling Place
$825,000
2 |
1
Gravesend
2475 West 16th Street
$369,000
2 |
1
Farragut
5401 Clarendon Road
$860,000
3 |
2.5
Clinton Hill
153 Clinton Avenue
$635,000
1 |
1
Williamsburg
161 North 4th Street
$1,400,000
1 |
1
Greenpoint
1059 Manhattan Avenue
$700,000
Studio |
1
Flatbush
2835 Bedford Avenue
$350,000
1 |
1
Flatbush
323 Lenox Road
$585,000
1 |
1
Dyker Heights
7409 13th Avenue
$1,450,000
2 |
2
Bedford-Stuyvesant
435 Tompkins Avenue
$600,000
Studio |
1
Sheepshead Bay
2517 Voorhies Avenue
$565,000
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.
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St. Albans
113-01 200th Street
$799,000
5 |
2.5
Jackson Heights
34-41 78th Street
$350,000
1 |
1
Laurelton
222-06 133rd Avenue
$999,000
4 |
4
Kew Gardens Hills
68-14 136th Street
$429,000
3 |
1
College Point
121-36 Seventh Avenue
$950,000
3 |
3
Forest Hills
78-14 Austin Street
$398,000
2 |
1
Sunnyside
50-21 39 Place
$335,000
1 |
1
Forest Hills
107-40 Queens Boulevard
$538,000
2 |
1
East Flushing
142-10 Oak Avenue
$888,000
3 |
1.5
Kew Gardens
85-20 131st Street
$828,000
3 |
2
Hillcrest
69-06 Fresh Meadow Lane
$999,000
4 |
2.5
Astoria
31-85 Crescent Street
$699,000
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!