City Survival: New York City Gift Guide
Looking for some gadgets to make life easier? Have a look through our guide to the perfect city gifts, whether you're stocking your own place or finding stocking stuffers for friends and family!
If these gifts aren't weird enough for you, check out the AGBC Gift Guide of Particularly Perplexing Stocking Stuffers! 🧦
Necessary Knowledge
NYC Basic Tips and Etiquette by Nathan W. Pyle is a hilarious illustrated guide to the tips and tricks to city living. Presented in kind-hearted but straight-to-the-point cartoons, each page offers a wealth of knowledge about how to navigate the city, with hints that even some native New Yorkers could use as a reminder. From sidewalk walking to subway strategies, Nathan presents a deluge of information in a fun way, and also includes what should be New York's motto: "Welcome to New York, where the object of the game is... Stay Out of Everyone's Way!"
Rise and Shine
The first thing to go in a cramped apartment is kitchen counter space, so don't clog up that valuable real estate with an electric coffee maker. The Aeropress is highly regarded as a way to make great coffee without any huge countertop machinery. In between refueling, the Aeropress packs away into a cabinet. Use it to brew up some Chock Full o' Nuts for a true NYC experience.
Fire Escape Shelf
This fire escape shelf is a rather adorable way to add a bit of city charm to any kitchen-and-living-room combo, even if you still haven't figured out how to open the safety bars on your bedroom window to use your building's own fire escape. Bonus points if you arrange some empty flowerpots and a grungy doormat on the top landing.
Carry On
Not every trip to the store requires unfolding the two-wheel luggage cart, so carry a Baggu reusable bag in your pocket for easier bagel transport. Made of ripstop nylon that can easily be compressed, these bags hold much more than a typical plastic bag and are tough enough to last year after year. Available in 26 colors, including silver metallic and cotton-candy pink.
Be Prepared
Daily life in the streets of New York means being prepared for whatever life may throw at you, and this 18-in-one pocket tool will be there for you, ready to be a letter opener, screwdriver, or bottle opener, depending on what you're up to that day. A steel multitool that can fit in a wallet or pocket, the design technically crams 18 tools on there, but is also just handy to have if you need to pry open a box or scrape at something and don't want to gunk up your fingernails. Cannot be used as a ninja throwing star.
