When my niece turns 1 later this month, I’d like to get her a gift that makes her say (once she’s able to speak, understand geography, etc.) “I love this cool thing my uncle got me in New York City.”

Two decades ago, this might’ve been as easy as walking into FAO Schwarz, Pearl River Mart or the Knicks gift shop and grabbing the shiniest item in sight.

Now — having spent a couple years of the pandemic dumping my disposable income via dozens of websites that all have my credit card info prestored — I’m not sure if there’s any gift I can’t purchase on my phone and have shipped 3,000 miles. I also don’t know which of the remaining non-vacant storefronts in this city has what I’m looking for.

This is not just a me problem: A third of New Yorkers live within a half-mile of a mega-warehouse because of our reliance on online orders. The trucks delivering this stuff are choking our streets. And we send so much of it back that there are resale stores that all but give away our returned boxes just to keep them out of landfills.

Surely it’s still possible — in the most densely populated city in the United States — to go shopping in person, have a pleasant experience and find something you can’t get anywhere else.

Read the full story on Gothamist.com.