Widow Jane, Red Hook, Photo Credit: Julienne Schaer
As if dozens of Instagram pictures weren’t enough, there are tons of souvenirs you can buy in New York City for you, your friends and your grandma who has everything. Here are a few of my suggestions.
For the foodie
New York City has so many delicious products coming out, it’s hard to choose what to get. A good place to start is with local booze, a category that has boomed in the last few years. Grab a bottle of Dorothy Parker gin, or Widow Jane bourbon, which gets made in Red Hook, Brooklyn.
If you want something sweeter, pick up chocolate from Gnosis. The rich bars come in flavors like pomegranate-acai and 90 percent raw cacao.
Another great way to say, “Hey, I was in New York,” is with a tea towel sporting a visage of the Brooklyn Bridge or Manhattan’s skyline. You can find these, and plenty of other darling kitchen gear at Fishs Eddy.
For arts lovers
If you go to the Museum of Modern Art, you can kill two birds with one stone: going to see the awesome exhibits there and getting some clever souvenirs. It carries all sorts of fun souvenirs, including mugs and change purses designed to look like the classic NYC Greek deli cup, cut-and-paste iconic buildings and a plethora of non-kitschy “I Love NY” knickknacks.
Brooklyn Flea Market, Photo Credit: Malcolm Brown
For a unique token of the city, buy something from the street or at one of the many markets. It might not say “New York” on it, but it will have a story. You can find such treasured objects at the Hester Street Fair, Brooklyn Flea Market or on Spring Street near Mott, where tons of vendors set up alfresco shops.
For everyone
If you have a lot of souvenirs to purchase or need to obtain a dozen “I Love NY” shirts, Chinatown is the best bet. There, the many hawkers sell shirts, bags, scarves, necklaces, stuffed animals — you name it and they have branded it an NYC memento. Plus, things run pretty cheap and if you haggle, chances are you can get it for even less.
