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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Chelsea
225 West 15th Street
$3,200base rent
Studio |
1
Yorkville
325 East 90th Street
$3,400base rent
1 |
1
Inwood
520 West 218th Street
$3,125base rent
2 |
1
Murray Hill
210 East 38th Street
$3,195base rent
Studio |
1
Hell’s Kitchen
659 Tenth Avenue
$2,950base rent
Studio |
1
East Harlem
330 East 119th Street
$3,398base rent
1 |
1
Central Harlem
236 West 135th Street
$2,750base rent
1 |
1
Central Harlem
236 West 135th Street
$2,495base rent
1 |
1
Hudson Heights
225 Bennett Avenue
$2,650base rent
1 |
1
Lenox Hill
1480 York Avenue
$2,647base rent
Studio |
1
Yorkville
536 East 82nd Street
$3,200base rent
1 |
1
Yorkville
332 East 95th Street
$2,600base 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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Bushwick
527 Knickerbocker Avenue
$2,750base rent
1 |
1
Flatbush
1457 Flatbush Avenue
$2,521base rent
Studio |
1
Flatbush
1457 Flatbush Avenue
$2,979base rent
2 |
1
Prospect Lefferts Gardens
665 Flatbush Avenue
$2,600base rent
1 |
1
Crown Heights
392 Saint Mark’s Avenue
$2,899base rent
Studio |
1
Brownsville
1111 Clarkson Avenue
$2,400base rent
2 |
1
Flatbush
1457 Flatbush Avenue
$2,750base rent
1 |
1
Flatbush
1457 Flatbush Avenue
$2,979base rent
2 |
1
Flatbush
840 New York Avenue
$2,750base rent
1 |
1
Kensington
16 Micieli Place
$2,795base rent
1 |
1
Flatbush
1457 Flatbush Avenue
$2,750base rent
1 |
1
Wingate
702 Fenimore Street
$2,500base rent
2 |
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
14-55 Broadway
$2,150base rent
1 |
1
Rego Park
61-15 97th Street
$1,950base rent
Studio |
1
Kew Gardens
118-65 Metropolitan Avenue
$2,495base rent
1 |
1
Kew Gardens
83-61 116th Street
$2,472base rent
Studio |
1
Woodside
32-15 58th Street
$2,100base rent
Studio |
1
Fresh Meadows
185-01 64th Avenue
$2,400base rent
1 |
1
Kew Gardens
83-15 118th Street
$2,200base rent
1 |
1
Jamaica
88-50 179th Street
$2,250base rent
1 |
1
Fresh Meadows
190-19A 71 Crescent
$2,400base rent
1 |
1
Jackson Heights
37-10 74th Street
$2,100base rent
1 |
1
Fresh Meadows
196-11 69th Avenue
$2,400base rent
1 |
1
Ditmars-Steinway
20-50 29th Street
$2,450base 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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Fulton/Seaport
150 Nassau Street
$895,000
1 |
1
South Harlem
1919 Madison Avenue
$425,000
2 |
1
Kips Bay
305 East 24th Street
$750,000
1 |
1
Murray Hill
140 East 40th Street
$375,000
Studio |
1
Kips Bay
330 East 33rd Street
$1,350,000
2 |
2
Upper West Side
825 West End Avenue
$499,000
Studio |
1
Central Harlem
2257 Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard
$899,000
2 |
2
Battery Park City
200 Rector Place
$1,200,000
2 |
1
Yorkville
505 East 79th Street
$859,500
2 |
1
Central Park South
106 Central Park South
$1,200,000
1 |
1.5
Upper East Side
179 East 79th Street
$850,000
1 |
1
Hell’s Kitchen
333 West 56th Street
$715,000
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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Williamsburg
717 Grand Street
$1,475,000
2 |
2
Brighton Beach
2921 Brighton 1st Street
$1,250,000
3 |
3
East Flatbush
186 East 39th Street
$1,150,000
6 |
2
Williamsburg
717 Grand Street
$1,175,000
1 |
1
Williamsburg
251 Graham Avenue
$1,200,000
2 |
1.5
Marine Park
1931 East 32nd Street
$788,888
2 |
2
Farragut
586 East 42nd Street
$825,000
3 |
2.5
Downtown Brooklyn
306 Gold Street
$850,000
1 |
1
Homecrest
2120 Ocean Avenue
$765,000
2 |
2
Bath Beach
43 Bay 14th Street
$1,180,000
5 |
2
Midwood
759 East 10th Street
$350,000
1 |
1
Homecrest
2340 East 29th Street
$1,080,000
3 |
2.5
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
5-49 Borden Avenue
$870,000
1 |
1
Forest Hills
69-40 Yellowstone Boulevard
$388,000
Studio |
2
Lindenwood
151-15 84th Street
$360,000
1 |
1
East Flushing
140-22 Beech Avenue
$695,000
2 |
2
Ozone Park
150-07 95th Street
$599,000
3 |
2
Laurelton
130-31 218th Street
$879,000
4 |
3
Maspeth
51-30 47th Street
$849,999
3 |
2
Springfield Gardens
140-28 184th Street
$399,900
4 |
2
Pomonok
163-14 71st Avenue
$738,000
3 |
2
Sunnyside
39-20 52nd Street
$300,000
1 |
1
Queens Village
89-78 219th Street
$875,000
2 |
1.5
Forest Hills
69-10 Yellowstone Boulevard
$365,000
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!