Need a last-minute urbanist gift? Here are some ideas.
Looking for last minute holiday gift ideas? We’ve got you covered! Here’s what our contributors suggested when I asked for items related to transportation, cities, urbanism, and our region itself.
For the home
Vintage DC Streetcar poster: A poster photo of a DC streetcar from the 1890s shows what public transit looked like over a hundred year ago. It’s available in several sizes.
Cherry Blossom Creative: Local designer Cherry Blossom Creative has a large collection of bright wall art portraying DC neighborhoods. The entire collection is currently available at the Downtown Holiday Market near the Verizon Center.
Subway system poster: This 29 x 23 inch poster let’s you compare 140 subway systems from around the world side by side in one scale.
DC rowhouse screenprint: These screenprints of DC’s historic architectures are available at Analog, a store in Brookland run by Dan Malouff’s wife Melissa Esposito. Transit-related
CaBi Gift Certificate: Capital Bikeshare offers gift cards for their annual, 30 day, three-day and 24-hour passes, and they’re easy to buy at the absolute last minute.
Metrobus accordion bus: WMATA sells a 15-inch model of its new accordion buses. The DC Metro store also has other gift ideas like mugs, umbrellas and plates for all your transit gift needs.
Metro station t-shirts: If you have a favorite DC metro station, Transitgifts.com has t-shirt of all DC metro stations.The site also has apparel and trinkets from other transportation systems around the world.
The city essentials
DC 4D City Puzzle: One of the many gift offerings from the National Building Museum, this puzzle let’s you create a full 3D historic city scape of the District as it developed through the years.
Wheaton Plaza shirts: Made by our own Dan Reed, these t-shirts are available on his blog.
DC Street grid jewelry: This necklace and earrings highlight DC’s famous street grid.
A picnic set: A picnic set is a great way to enjoy our region’s green space. The only downside with this gift is that for most, picnic weather may be a few months away.
Books
Start-Up City: Authored by Gabe Klein, the book is full of thoughts on how to create meaningful change in a city, do it fast, and have fun doing it.
Great Society Subway: This book may not explain why your Metro train is late, but it does provide a rich history of the DC subway system, it’s iconic architecture, and its emergence as one of the busiest in the US.
Transit Maps of the World: This book captures rapid-transit systems from around the world with historical and present day maps.
Field Guide to the Natural World of Washington DC: Want to explore all the nature that the city has to offer? Grab a copy of this book and explore the wildlife and parks of the city.