Mother’s Day Gift Ideas for NYC-Loving Moms

There’s just a little over a week left to get Mom the perfect Mother’s Day gift! Untapped New York has rounded up a selection of Mother’s Day gift ideas fit for all the NYC-loving mothers out there, from those who are craving adventure, to those who would rather enjoy a quiet Sunday at home. Check out our picks and make sure to get your orders in before Mother’s Day, May 9th!

1. NY <3 Moms

Dig out the old family photo album! Urban Archive is showing love to all the moms of New York City with the new campaign, New York <3 Moms. This crowd-sourced project will spotlight photographs and stories of mothers and maternal figures from all over the city on the Urban Archive map. The image above was submitted by Mary Lofaro and shows her mom, Maria Bambace Lofaro, sitting at Rockefeller Center just a few years after immigrating to New York from Italy.

You can make your city mom or the maternal figure in your life part of history by submitting her photograph and story here! Submissions will be accepted through Sunday, May 9th. Be sure to include the location where the photograph was taken and a caption that pays tribute to your mom.

2. Untapped New York Insiders Gift Membership

Gift your mom a key to New York City with an Untapped New York Insiders membership! As an Insider, Mom will have unlimited monthly access to free virtual and in-person events that explore the culture, history, and architecture of New York City. She will also be able to revisit 100+ past virtual experiences in our Video Archive.

Virtual events include talks with bestselling authors, virtual tours led by expert NYC guides, and ongoing virtual series like Lost New York hosted by Untapped New York’s Chief Experience Officer Justin Rivers, and Wild City, hosted by author Thomas Hynes. Upcoming in-person events include free tickets to the Jazz Age Lawn Party, a picnic in the rarely opened New York Marble Cemetery, and more to be announced soon! You can get Mom started on a monthly or yearly membership, starting at just $10 a month, here.

3. At-Home Sushi Experience by Tomokase

Don’t make Mom cook on Mother’s Day, bring the restaurant experience to her! Tomokase was founded by chef Takeshita Fumitaka as a response to the Covid-19 crisis and its disastrous effect on the New York City restaurant industry. For each at-home booking, Tomokase assigns a handpicked sushi chef from Takeshita’s talented team, along with an experienced maitre d’.

This Mother’s Day, Tomokase is offering an exclusive lunch or dinner package which includes a signature 21-course selection of sushi omakase sourced exclusively from Japan, a special dessert created in collaboration with Cha An Bakery (a Japanese sweet shop based in NoHo), a bottle of champagne, and a specialty flower arrangement. The best part? There’s so set up or clean-up for Mom to do!

4. Untapped New York Walking Tour

Take Mom on a New York City adventure by joining an Untapped New York walking tour! On Mother’s Day weekend, you can bring Mom out to uncover the secrets of Grand Central Terminal, rediscover the history of Dutch New Amsterdam, go on an underground tour of the subway system, or explore the abandoned rooms of Ellis Island’s defunct hospital complex.

You can see all of Untapped New York’s walking tours here! All Untapped New York tours are led by licensed New York City tour guides and adhere to enhanced Covid-19 protocols to ensure the health and safety of both our guests and our guides.

5. FultonFishMarket.com Delivery

The Fulton Fish Drop sources fresh fish from the FultonFishMarket.com, the largest online retailer of seafood from New York’s iconic Fulton Fish Market. This year, you can gift Mom with a curated box of fresh fish by sending a Fulton Fish Drop box filled with the freshest handpicked cuts. Untapped New York Readers can save 15% off their first shipment with promo code UNTAPPED. Gift subscriptions will cancel automatically after the term ends.

Fulton Fish Drop brings “sustainable, fresh (never frozen) seafood to your door.” After each piece of fish has been carefully selected, it’s hand-cut, vacuum-sealed, and shipped in recyclable boxes with biodegradable liners. You can select a weekly, biweekly, or monthly delivery schedule and surprise Mom with a new fish with every drop.

6. Cassata Bakery Pasticcini

Treat Mom while also doing a good deed, thanks to Cassata Bakery. This year, Cassata Bakery is donating 20% of all Mother’s Day Pasticcini sales directly to No Kid Hungry. This charity helps to support mothers in feeding their families. The Mother’s Day Pasticcini satchel comes with two satin bronze Cassata Bakery bags of Pasticcini, the bakery’s Classic Meyer Lemon, and a Mother’s Day Sunshine State Edition.

The bags of pasticcini are tucked inside a linen satchel with a hand-dyed pastel ribbon and a handwritten note for an extra personal touch. To make sure Mom never runs out of pasticcini, you can sign her up for the Pasticcini Club. As part of the club, she will get two dozen cookies shipped to her doorstep every month!

7. Brooklyn Greenway Adopt-a-Plant

You can show Mom you are thinking of her and help out a local initiative by adopting a native plant or tree along the Brooklyn Greenway or at the Naval Cemetery Landscape. Adopting a plant or tree helps to “support biodiversity in Brooklyn and help native plants to thrive.” It’s also beneficial to the native wildlife including bees and butterflies. You will receive a digital certificate of recognition for each plant adoption.

8. Ode À La Rose Bouquet

Local Brooklyn company, Ode À La Rose, is one of the best last-minute Mother’s Day gift ideas! This florist, founded by two Brooklyn transplants from France, makes same-day flower deliveries in New York City, Chicago, and Philadelphia. Other places in the United States can receive their arrangements via next-day delivery.

This Mother’s Day, Ode À La Rose offers Moms across the country beautiful bouquets of peonies, tulips, and roses in vibrant pinks, soft creams, and deep reds. Ode À La Rose sources their flowers from eco-friendly farms, carefully arranges them, wraps them into magnificent bouquets, and packs them into a signature gift box for safe delivery.

9. Secret Brooklyn Book

Help Mom discover the most amazing places in Brooklyn with this guide created by Untapped New York’s founder Michelle Young and Untapped New York’s CEO Augustin Pasquet. This latest edition of Secret Brooklyn is packed with nearly 150 quirky, off-the-beaten path, and hidden spots to explore. As an extra perosnal touch, you can have the book autographed with a dedication of your choice.

Highlights you will find inside include a robotic church, a hidden rooftop garden, remnants of a lost railroad tunnel you can get a drink in, and more. With this guide, Mom can track the footprints of a Revolutionary War-era mill in Marine Park, look for the wild parrots of Brooklyn, locate a sunken yellow submarine, or hike on the former Ridgewood Reservoir.

10. HelloFresh Brunch

This year, as part of HelloFresh Market, HelloFresh subscribers can order a customizable Mother’s Day to enjoy at home. There are two delicious meals to choose from, starting at only $32. Indulge in a savory Bacon and Asparagus Strata with Balsamic Tomatoes and Potato Hash or go for sweet Lemon Ricotta Pancakes with cherry jam. Untapped New York Readers who sign up for HelloFresh using the promo code UNTAPPED12 will get 12 free meals across 4 boxes including free shipping on their first box.

Each Mother’s Day meal can be customized with three additional extras: Cinnamon Rolls, Breakfast Sausage, and/or Salted Caramel Cheesecake (4-pack). Meals will ship in the first and second week of May! HelloFresh subscriptions bring fresh ingredients and easy-to-follow recipes right to your door. Starting at $61, you can choose your favorite meals from a weekly menu that suits your diet.

Next, check out upcoming Untapped New York Insider events and public walking tours!