Well, it has been quite a year in Gotham, dear reader. And yet, we’re still standing strong. And we still feel the same giddy and passionate love for New York City that we did the very first time we ever visited. Maybe even more. And if someone on your list really loves NYC, maybe the right gift can inspire that same magical feeling – even from afar. As New Yorkers ourselves, we’ve curated a luxury gift guide with the best iconic gifts from New York City for those who passionately love NYC, including caps, maps, books and more.
what are the best luxury gifts for those who love new york city?
F. Scott Fitzgerald characterized the sight of the New York City skyline as offering the “wild promise of all the mystery and the beauty in the world.” How do you give a gift that captures that electric feeling?
The luxury gift guide with the best gifts for someone who passionately loves New York City. And who doesn’t?
We all know that there’s no one New York City – there are hundreds, maybe thousands of them – depending on where you live, what you do for a living and what passions drive you. So for this holiday luxury gift shop, we’re sharing ideas based on 10 different segments of New York City life. One of them is sure to be a perfect match for your gift recipient’s dreams of the city.
Here’s our luxury gift guide with the best iconic NYC gifts for the someone on your list who loves New York, including caps, maps, books and more.
Literary New York
1. Metropolitan Stories by Christine Coulson.
Metropolitan Stories is a wonderful novel about what happens inside after the Metropolitan Museum closes for the night. From a writer who worked at the Met for more than twenty-five years, it’s a very special view of a beloved New York City cultural institution.
BUY NOW – $16.40.
2. A Booklover’s Guide to New York by Cleo Le-Tan
A Booklover’s Guide to New York is an illustrated guide to New York City tailored for the book-obsessed explorer showcasing the city’s best bookshops; libraries; homes and haunts of world-famous writers; and scenes from literary classics with charming drawings by the famed New Yorker cover artist Pierre Le-Tan.
BUY NOW – $22.30.
3. New York Public Library T-Shirt.
The marble lions, Patience and Fortitude, flanking the entrance to The New York Public Library are familiar and beloved icons. They were modeled by sculptor Edward Clark Potter and carved from pink Tennessee marble by the Piccirilli brothers in 1911. This vibrant vintage-style tee is perfect for the library lover.
BUY NOW – $28.00.
4. New York Times baseball cap.
Show The Paper of Record some love with this classic baseball cap. The Times calls the baseball cap “the common man’s crown. It’s ubiquitous, but not anonymous and with the tilt of its bill or a curve of its brim, it conveys a point of view.”
BUY NOW – $28.00
5. A weekend at The Library Hotel.
Gift a long literary weekend in the city with a hotel stay at The Library Hotel (just steps away from the Public Library in Midtown).
BUY NOW – Starting at $311/night.
6. An exclusive literary desk caddy.
Made from reclaimed heart pine and finished with tung oil, this exclusive desk caddy commissioned by the New York Public Library is engraved with a quote by Jorge Luis Borges: “I have always imagined that paradise will be a kind of library.”
BUY NOW – $54.00
Old School New York
7. New York Stories edited by Connie Rosenblum
A peek inside the real New York City. Each Sunday, the City section of The New York Times – which is distributed only in papers in the five boroughs, since it’s the “local news” section – shares the tales of people and places that make the city unique. This anthology includes some of the best and most memorable essays from the section’s archives.
BUY NOW – $19.95.
8. Open City by Teju Cole
This is the widely-acclaimed author’s first novel. Along the streets of Manhattan, a young Nigerian doctor wanders, reflecting on his relationships, his recent breakup with his girlfriend, his present, his past. On the streets of the city, he encounters people from different cultures and classes who will provide insight on his journey and illumination of the deep corners of his soul.
BUY NOW – $14.99.
9. Fire escape shelf
These striking shelves from Uncommon Goods are a homage to the classic New York City fire escapes all over town.
BUY NOW – $129.00.
10. The yellow taxi cab ornament
Though we may all take ubers now, the yellow taxi cab will always be an iconic symbol of the city’s history. And now you can hang it from your tree.
BUY NOW – $8.95.
11. Metro Card
With OMNI on its way, the metro card is about to be a thing on the past. But your love of the subway can live forever in the form of this magnet.
BUY NOW – $4.99.00.
Design Lover’s New York
12. A guided tour
New York Splendour: The City’s Most Memorable Rooms by Wendy Moonan is a guided tour with an expert insider of some of New York City’s finest residential rooms, both past and present. New York is the epicenter of interior-design innovations, and there are myriad styles on view here.
BUY NOW – $85.00.
13. Salt and pepper shakers
For a newly-arrived New Yorker, or someone who’s missing Gotham, we love this set of salt and pepper shakers shaped like two iconic buildings in the city skyline.
BUY NOW – $34.95.
14. A framed print
Remember the millions of small moments that unfolded in New York in spring 2020, when coronavirus decimated the city and New Yorkers rallied to meet the challenge and flatten the curve with a framed print of the cover of The New Yorker from May 4, 2020 – a drawing entitled Still Life by Chris Ware.
BUY NOW – $154.00.
15. Brooklyn Bridge mini blocks
No one’s ever too young to develop a love of New York’s iconic bridges. Start them playing with these Brooklyn Bridge mini blocks, and they’ll be a New Yorker for life.
BUY NOW – $9.95.
16. new york at twilight wall calendar
Our limited-edition New York at Twilight wall calendar for 2024 is the perfect way to keep the enchantment of Gotham at dusk present all year long.
BUY NOW: $25.00.
17. Trinket tray
When it comes to the city’s architecture, we all love the look of the iconic brownstone. And The Tenement museum brings that look to life in colorful illustration on this charming trinket tray.
BUY NOW – $1499.00.
Artistic New York
18. Chess set
Elevate your gift recipient’s next chess game to new heights. Celebrate New York’s diverse architecture, including the Freedom Tower, Flatiron Building and Empire State Building with this handsome chess set. Includes 32 double-weighted acrylic pieces with soft felt bases, and a folding board.
BUY NOW – $135.00.
19. MOMA tote bag
A MoMA tote bag is the perfect only-in-New-York gift for someone who loves contemporary art.
BUY NOW – $38.00.
20. Jay Maisel photobook
Jay Maisel took some of the most stunning photographs of the city that we’ve ever seen. Jay Maisel’s New York is an essential addition to the library of anyone who loves art and the city. Larger budget? Gift a print of his extraordinary Statue of Liberty in Mist ($2,400).
BUY NOW – $95.00.
21. Warhol photobook
Warhol by Blake Gopnik ($40.50), published in 2021, is the definitive biography of the iconic New York artist.
BUY NOW – $20.99.
22. Paperweight
Chelsea is home to many leading lights in the creative class in New York. It’s also the site of many leading contemporary art galleries. Celebrate it with a dome paperweight from New York’s own John Derian.
BUY NOW – $80.00.
23. Desktop homage
Star architect Daniel Libeskind designed this desktop-sized homage to the New York City water tower for Alessi.
BUY NOW – $310.00.
24. Apple icon
An apple covered in graffiti from Janus et Cie – in either paperweight size ($445) or outdoor icon size captures the perfect balance of elegance and edge.
BUY NOW – $3,633.00.
Fashionable New York
25. New York themed gift of New York or Nowhere
New York Or Nowhere might be one of the best places to find a New York-themed gifts. We love their apparel, their mugs, and their keychains, but nothing beats their framed prints: such as this one, which fashionably tucks the phrase “New York or Nowhere” onto an awning.
BUY NOW – $150.00.
26. Bill Cunningham photobook
The compilation of the street photography of Bill Cunningham ($57.99) along with his memoir ($17) tell the same story of a bright spirit in love with the city, except this one is true.
BUY NOW – $57.99.
27. Dapper Dan’s memoir
Our absolute top pick, though, is Dapper Dan’s memoir of building a fashion business from scratch in Harlem.
BUY NOW – $16.99.
28. Bloomingdale’s iconic shopping bag
It doesn’t get more New York than this durable replica of the iconic shopping bag from Bloomingdale’s on 59th Street.
BUY NOW – $45.00.
29. Scented Candle
Bond No 9’s Eau de New York scented candle is “for when you want a roomful of the city’s non-stop energy.”
BUY NOW – $125.00.
Foodie New York
30. Homesick gift crate
Upper West Sideinstitution Zabar’s offers a hometown gifts by mail basket called the “Don’t be Homesick Gift Crate.”
BUY NOW – $259.00.
31. Dinner maps
It’s not New York City without a slice, and the gift of an official New York by-the-slice pizza map ($7.95) will ensure that their next visit is fueled properly. No fork or knife, please!Eat it like a real New Yorker.
BUY NOW – $7.95.
32. Pizza in a tube
Better yet, gift a “Forever Pizza”– an authentic New York slice encased in an acrylic cube.
BUY NOW – $249.00.
33. Collage of pizza
And you’ll find all your favorite slice shop immortalized in this epic print, which creates a collage of the matchbooks from all the best.
BUY NOW – $30.40.
34. New York Coffee cup
The iconic “We Are Happy To Serve You” Grecian-style paper coffee cupwas introduced in 1963 by Leslie Buck. This ceramic New York Coffee Cup is the perfect reminder of authentic New York foodways.
BUY NOW – $15.00.
35. Momofuku Noodle Bar
A framed print of one of the many iconic foodie hangouts in New York City would be a perfect gift. We love this one of Momofuku Noodle Bar– but you can choose your favorite.
BUY NOW – $95.00.
36. Shot glasses
When you serve your cocktails in these Good Times in a New York Minute shot glasses from Kate Spade, you can think of big apple – even if you’re far away.
BUY NOW – $40.00.
New York Sports
37. New York Yankees stool
MLB fans will love this New York Yankees stool made from a base marker certified as used at on a game dayat Yankee Stadium.
BUY NOW – $1,225.00.
38. Cap replica
We love this hand-sewn replica of the caps worn by the Brooklyn Eagles in 1935– the Negro National League team played in New York for one season at Ebbets Field.
BUY NOW – $54.00.
39. Basketball in New York
City/Game: Basketball in New York covers not only the city’s three pro teams. It also takes readers inside the many local high-school and college basketball teams with legendary rivalries. Explore the famous street-ball courts on a map of the five boroughs, home to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, and Kyrie Irving. Read about New York’s style of play, like the infamous one-handed jump shot. And get smart by reading the glossary of NYC-style trash talk and slang.
BUY NOW – $45.00.
40. Replica of MLB stadiums
These art prints from Uncommon Goods offer vintage aesthetic replicas of the MLB Stadiums: Citi Field, Shea Stadium, 1923 Yankees Stadium and 2009 Yankee Stadium.
BUY NOW – $185.00.
41. New York Rangers torches
Now you can light up the backyard with your love for the New York Rangers, using these LED solar torches.
BUY NOW – $37.49.
the best luxury gifts for those who love new york city
That’s our luxury gift guide with the best iconic NYC gifts for someone on your list who loves New York City, including caps, maps, books and more. We think they’re among the best luxury gifts this year to bestow a piece of the dream of Gotham, until they can visit again.
