Bowery Mission – Downtown Magazine

As we head into the last weekend before Santa makes his masked and socially distanced midnight ride, it’s time to make sure everyone on your list is taken care of. Here are some of my favorite NYC gifts to give and receive.

NYC Gifts Gem Spa Tote Bag — Gem Spa Tote Bag

Gem Spa streetwear

The legendary Lower East Side newsstand and purveyor of the world’s best egg creams may not be with us in the physical realm anymore, but they live on in their collection of hoodies, tee shirts, joggers, hats, totes, and of course, face masks! Give the gift of rock and roll and literary New York history. Gemspanyc.com

Fire Escapes of New York

NYC Gifts tenement museum ornament — Tenement Museum Fire Escape ornament

The Tenement Museum tells the story of the immigrant communities that came to our shores looking for a better life and helped create the New York City we all know and love today. While the museum is closed due to COVID, you can still sign up for a walking tour of the Lower East Side, or shop in what I consider to be the greatest New York gift shop in all of the five boroughs. Their newest ornament pays homage to that classic feature of New York life, the fire escape. Tenement.org

Cheers!

Hudson Whiskey is New York attitude, distilled. These fine spirits are handcrafted in Gardiner, New York, using grain from local, family farms. My personal favorite is Short Stack, a full-bodied New York Rye finished in maple syrup barrels. For stockists: hudsonwhiskey.com

Zen Holiday

Embrace the CBD lifestyle with TribeTokes, a woman-owned business located right here in the Meatpacking District, NYC. They have everything from tinctures and beauty products (try the green, superfood mask!), to vape pens. And the gummies, with 15mg of CBD each, make the perfect stocking stuffers. tribetokes.com

NYC Gifts CW Pencils Charm — CW Pencils Charm

Write Stuff

It’s no secret that I am obsessed with pencils so when I discovered CW Pencil Enterprise on Orchard Street, naturally I became a regular customer. Their website is packed with great gift ideas, but I particularly love this little 14k gold pencil charm, designed by Cass Lilien, an NYC-based jewelry designer. Perfect for the creative people in your life. cwpencils.com

NYC Gifts Russ & Daughters — Russ & Daughters

Appetizing

Russ & Daughters is a 106-year-old appetizing shop that is part of the rich culinary history of the New York Jewish community. It is also the BEST place to buy smoked salmon, pickled herring, whitefish, as well as bagels, bialys, halvah, dried fruits, and more. Create your own spread to nosh on, or have the team put together a stellar platter or gift box for the ultimate in NYC gifts. shop.russanddaughters.com

Splendid Decor

John Derian is known for his decoupage work, which appears on everything from plates to coasters, and it’s all produced right here in NYC. But his East Village shop is also filled with all kinds of sweet and cheerful items, including Steiff animals, ornaments, home décor, textiles, art, and vintage and antique finds. These jigsaw puzzles are perfect for stay-at-home days. This one is a 19^th century print of the Manhattan island. johnderian.com

NYC Gifts Arielle Sustainable Fashion — Arielle Medea Coat

Fashionista

Texas-born Arielle launched her eponymous brand in 2018, after over 10 years in the fashion industry. The fully sustainable label is committed to zero-waste, ethical sourcing, and elegant, lasting style. The Medea Coat is made from vegetarian shearling using Responsible Wool Standard American merino wool backed with Repreve®, made from recycled water bottles. Oversized lapels and welt pockets highlight a clean, straight cut with open front. Fully lined in organic cotton. Made in NYC. shop.arielle.com

Busy Bee

Bee Raw champions American family-run farms and apiaries and produces a collection of honey-based goods packaged in post-consumer paper, glass, and metal. Butchwax is a moisturizing balm that softens skin, made from beeswax, jojoba, rosemary, peppermint, and tea tree oils, and made right here in Industry City, Brooklyn, NYC. Beeraw.com

Give Give Give

The season of giving is also a great time to remember our neighbors in need, especially during this pandemic. Some of my favorite organizations with local roots are: Lower East Side Girls Club, Project Renewal, Girl Be Heard, Bowery Mission, DIFFA

For the fourth year in a row, Gramercy Neighborhood Associates will be hosting its acclaimed Taste of Gramercy Neighborhood. Taste Of Gramercy Neighborhood was started to promote local businesses and introduce residents of New York City to the wonderful array of food that Gramercy has to offer. Taking place between 11:00 AM and 3:00 PM on Saturday, Sept. 24, this year’s event will be hosting on Irving Place between 17th and 18th Street.

This year’s vendors include BLT Prime, The Smith, Paul & Jimmy’s, Ainsworth Park, Bedford Cheese, and Casa Neta. Beyond the food and drink offerings on-site, there will also be raffled items from the likes of Tory Burch, Beecher’s Cheese, CYC Fitness, and Baked By Melissa. Sponsors making this event happen include conEdison, Breads Bakery, Vita Coco, and Farm2me. As GNA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, this year’s event will also keep up TOGN’s tradition of helping out some great causes.

Antonella Napolitano, Treasurer of Gramercy Neighborhood Associates, spoke to Downtown about this year’s event and plenty more. Advance tickets and other info about Taste Of Gramercy Neighborhood can be found at www.gnaonline.org.

How would you describe the Taste Of Gramercy Neighborhood event to someone that hasn’t yet attended it?

Antonella Napolitano: A fun and social event that gives attendees the opportunity to explore the wonderful array of food that Gramercy has to offer while contributing to a charitable cause. The event showcases some of Gramercy’s top restaurants and profits go to benefit healthy meal programs at local public schools, including P.S. 40 and School of the Future. In addition, all leftover food will go to feed the homeless via the Bowery Mission.

How does this year’s event to compare to the first year that Taste Of Gramercy was done?

AN: TOGN has grown significantly over the years. The festival features more restaurants, more product sponsors who provide free goods to ticket holders, a lot more media attention and activity. This has translated in more attendees each year. Due to continued demand from restaurants, we are hoping to expand to two blocks on Irving Place for the 2017 event.

Aside from this festival, what else is coming up for Gramercy Neighborhood Associates?

AN: We have our annual green market rescue in Union Square in partnership with City Harvest on Sept. 10. In November and December, we participate in a holiday project in conjunction with Epiphany Parish, where for the eighth year in a row we will organize a gift-giving program for the homebound. We will also be participating in the Daily News Food Drive, whereby in partnership with Daily News, NYPD and FDNY, GNA collects non-perishable food to stock shelves at 500 soup kitchens, food pantries and other community food programs across the city.

Is there something that you wish more people knew about Gramercy Neighborhood Associates?

AN: GNA was founded over 100 years ago in 1912 and is one of the oldest community groups in New York City. We started as a landmarking organization and in the 1990s, GNA fostered the creation of the East 17th Street/Irving Place Historic District and the extension of the Gramercy Park Historic District. GNA also worked with other coalitions on the landmarking of Scheffel Hall, Union Square Savings Bank, Century Association Club House, Russell Sage Foundation, the Guardian Life Building and former Tammany Hall.

GNA has also funded the publication of two books on Gramercy history: Gramercy: Its Architectural Surroundings by Andrew Scott Dolkart and Gramercy Park: An Illustrated History Of A New York Neighborhood by Stephen Garmey.

When not busy with the Gramercy Neighborhood Associates, how do you like to spend your free time?

AN: When not busy with GNA or at work, I spend time with family and friends — and my dog!