I will be going to New York for work, and thought it would be nice to bring something home for my daughters, who are 7 and 9. I’m not looking for something that says New York on it, but I’d like to find something that I can only get there, either from a store that is unique to NYC, or something that sells things that you won’t find in every mall and box store strip. This would be just as much about going someplace interesting and characteristic of New York as buying the thing itself.
Any ideas?
A miniature Statue of Liberty?
Dang, ninja’d.
How about a small toy from F.A.O. Schwartz, in a bag with the store’s logo?
Or are they a chain now?
Alternate idea: take a selfie in front of the big picture window where they shoot Good Morning America. Have the photo printed on a T-shirt, or wall hanging.
I feel like there’s not that much in New York - or anywhere - that can’t be bought somewhere online. How about a food item - some bagels and cream cheese, perhaps?
The City Store - located on the ground floor of the Municipal Building at Chambers St. – has great stuff that’s city themed and officially licensed with logos like the Taxi, FDNY, etc. The Staten Island Ferry play set is sweet and comes with a Parks Dept truck and a NYPD cruiser. There’s also a “4-D” puzzle where you place the buildings of Manhattan in chronological order, that I’ve been coveting. Lots of subway themed merch as well.
I can think of things that are easier to get in New York, but I don’t know if there’s anything that’s only available in New York, especially with the existence of online shopping.
However, having spent half of my life in New York City, much of it on the subway, I will say that one thing that’s characteristic of NYC (for me, at least) is the subway system. You could stop by the Transit Museum gift shop inside Grand Central and see if any of the subway-themed merchandise there strikes your fancy. (The Transit Museum is worth a visit too, but that’s in Brooklyn.)
The New-York Historical Society has a gift shop with some really neat New York-related items at a variety of price points, and you can go to the gift shop without paying admission for the museum (it’s a good museum, I’d recommend, but maybe you are pressed for time).
The gift shop at the Museum of the City of New Yorkis also solid for NY stuff, but the N-Y Historical Society has a better selection for kids.
There is a subway store in Grand Central that has fun NYC subway-themed stuff, and it is literally centrally located so I can’t imagine you would need to go out of your way. This is an outpost of the Transit Museum in Brooklyn, which I think is a great visit for fans of trains or public planning, although if you are here for a limited time for work, might be a bit of a haul depending on your interests and schedule.
If you want to bring back food treats, black and white cookies are really classic New York. Ess-a Bagel does good ones, but almost any bakery will have them. You might also consider rugelach from Zabar’s.
A salami from Katz’s deli?
Actually food may be your best bet. A cinnamon Babka from Russ and Daughters or something else sweet.
Something from the Subway store might be great. If there names happen to start with A B C D E F G J M N Q R Z or S You can get a t-shirt with that letter on it. (the letter being the name of a train)
“I heart NY” shirts are classic. You’ll see them everywhere, but the same shirts are sold for less in Chinatown. Go to Canal Street, around where Pearl Paints is.
When I was a kid, girls used to wear old-school subway tokens (the metal tokens with a hole in the center) as a pendant on a necklace. They were a great conversational piece / status symbol. I’m not sure if they’re still made, but I think there’s a transit museum somewhere - you could check if they have a gift shop.
How about a New York City themed book from the gift shop at the NYPL?
You can get NYPD/FDNY/NYC Taxi shirts/hats/keychains/etc. at about 1/3 of the store fronts in Midtown. At their ages, they may like the foam Statue of Liberty ‘headbands’ that make you look like you’re wearing her crown.
If they were older, you could come home, grab your crotch & say, “Fawk you” to give them some local atty-tude. :eek: