With the holiday season in full swing here in NYC, it’s time to start checking off items from your shopping list! Here at Secret NYC, we love supporting local businesses and one-of-a-kind stores and restaurants that you can only find in the greatest city in the world!
Whether you’re looking for a thoughtful gift for a New Yorker that has it all, or you want to surprise someone with a NYC-themed gift, we have some ideas for you! We present to you…our 2024 holiday gift guide!
1. A print of your favorite NYC restaurant – All The Restaurants
Pay homage to your favorite NYC restaurant with a lovely print crafted by NYC artist John Donohue! His All The Restaurants project consists of hundreds of NYC eateries that he’s carefully drawn in-person over the course of many years!
“My work brings people back to a special moment, and that brings me joy,” he told us. His catalogue consists of well-known spots and hidden gems (he even takes requests at times!) and prints are available in two different sizes ranging up to $95! Check out his full collection of NYC prints and orders yours here!
2. Only NY x WNYC New York Public Radio capsule collection – Only NY
Clothing brand Only NY has been cooking up incredible collaborations for years (NYC Parks, MTA to name a few), and they’re debuting a new collection with New York Public Radio’s WNYC for a centennial anniversary. The limited-edition capsule collection is inspired by “the voice of the city” and includes classic crew neck t-shirts, sweatshirts, and tote bags. View the whole collection on Only NY’s website or shop in person at 176 Stanton St.
3. Tribeca Membership – Tribeca Festival
Where’s all of our movie friends at?! We got the gift for those people! You’re probably familiar by now with the Tribeca Festival, one of the world’s most prestigious film festival that graces NYC each year…but what about some added cinema benefits?!
The festival is introducing a brand new 2025 membership program ($100) that grants access to year-round special events with some of Hollywood’s biggest stars, special screenings, world premieres of some of the most anticipated films, TV series, and more. Previous year’s members have enjoyed fireside chats with Larry David, the world premiere of “A Quiet Place: Day One” plus more. Learn more about the exclusive membership here!
4. Bottled cocktails – New York Cocktail Company
Want to drink cocktails at Christmas that are as good as the NYC bars? New York Cocktail Company is bringing some amazing booze gifts to the holiday world this year, in the form of ready-to-serve bottled cocktails! They recently launched a brand new winter cocktail, the Old Fashioned, as well as a collection of the Classic Negroni, Espresso Negroni, Chocolate Negroni and Negroni Mezcalito.
It’s the perfect gift for the drinks connoisseur of prospective bartender in your life! Shop the full holiday collection here.
5. We Are Happy To Serve You Glass Ornament – Lockwood
One of our favorite new ornament options this year is the iconic NYC coffee cup, brought to us by our friends at Lockwood! With now over 6 brick-and-mortar stores throughout NYC, this place sells unique decor, stationery, clothing, kid’s gifts, and affordable lifestyle goods, focusing on local NYC makers and up-and-coming brands! Check out the coffee cup ornament and other hand-picked gifts here.
6. NYON x New York Knicks capsule – New York or Nowhere
New York or Nowhere is one of our favorite NY-focused apparel brands in the city, and their recently launched New York Knicks collaboration is perfect for all fans of the team! They even recently tapped Knicks legend Patrick Ewing to model the new collection of varsity jackets, hoodies, t-shirts, and more. You can shop the clothing online, at their SoHo flagship, or Madison Square Garden! See all of the garments here.
7. Holiday Cookie Tins – Levain Bakery
This festive award-winning bakery is sharing many holiday offerings this year! Starting with their precious treats, their Dark Chocolate Peppermint holiday cookie flavor is back by popular demand… or maybe even go for their brand new Limited Edition Holiday Cookie Tin ($64/$84).
They of course are bringing back their fan-favorite $20 custom-made felt ornaments (one featuring a hand-made felt Levain cookie inside its iconic blue bag, and a second featuring a tree atop an NYC taxi cab) which are available in-store. Order yours here.
8. Luna Luna 1987 Plush – The Shed
Whether or not you’ve checked out NYC’s canon art event of the year, Luna Luna at The Shed, this plush toy drawing from the exhibition is an awesome decor piece. The exhibition is based off of the world’s first art amusement park back in 1987, which saw artists like Keith Haring, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Roy Lichtenstein, and more design rides at a park in Hamburg, Germany.
The wonderful exhibit tells the story of the park and recreates a majority of it at The Shed. This plush draws from the park’s iconic logo, but there’s other great merch too including archival t-shirts, models of the rides, and more. See the full collection here.
9. Holiday Candles – NEST New York
It’s beginning to smell a lot like Christmas! NEST New York is one of our favorite fragrance brands and their brand new limited-edition candles and diffusers are a great 2024 stocking stuffer. This year’s scents include Holiday, Christmas Tree, Birchwood Pine, Blue Cypress & Snow, Crystallized Ginger & Vanilla Bean, Amber & Incense, and Heart, all bringing the magical smells to the city!
You can also catch the Holiday scent on the 50 illuminated trees along the famous stretch of Fifth Avenue between 47th and 59th street.
10. A pet portrait of your furry one – Pet Portraits in Fishs Eddy
Call all pet owners! How about a special art piece of your beloved furry friend?! Well, NYC artist Ben Lenovitz is currently painting pet portraits at Fishs Eddy everyday (except Wednesdays and Fridays). New Yorkers can either bring in their pet in person or provide Ben with a photo, and he can whip up a masterpiece in under a half hour! He operates out of the home goods store from 1 – 4 pm, with a recommendation of coming early to beat the queue of requests.
Where: 889 Broadway