If you grew up in New York, you've probably been taking the subway since before you can remember. Hundreds of thousands of kids take the subway to get to school everyday, like in this 1960 photo of three schoolgirls on the old Brighton Line.

This is an arial illustration of Randall's Island, a public park that sits in the East River between Harlem, the South Bronx, and Astoria. In the last 30 years, the Island has transformed into a major recreation hub for New Yorkers, with over 60 playing fields, as well as tennis courts and a world-renowned track. Thousands of high school sporting competitions happen on Randall's Island every year.

The familiar jingle of the Mr. Softee ice cream truck is one that all New Yorkers recognize. They often pull up along side playgrounds, parks, and schools at dismissal time, and are a beloved fixture of the streetscape among city kids.

There are thousands of public parks, pools, playgrounds and basketball and tennis courts throughout the city. Public outdoor space like this playground in Harlem, couched between apartment buildings and businesses, is a staple of New York City kids, many of whom grow up in apartment buildings without a yard of their own. In the 20th century, city leadership and urban planners recognized the importance of outdoor recreational space and began an undertaking to make all five boroughs more outdoor-friendly.

Coney Island is home to one of the most famous amusement parks in the five boroughs. Known as Luna Park, it opened in 1903 on the shores of Brooklyn. While you're at Coney Island, you can also visit the New York Aquarium!

Children play at the beach on Coney Island in 1901. The public beaches of Brooklyn and Queens are still popular with New Yorkers today who are seeking some relief from the city heat by just getting on the subway and heading to the outer borders of the city.

The Bronx Zoo is beloved for its large animals and sprawling grounds, right in the Belmont section of the Bronx. It's one of largest municipal zoos in the country.

In some parts of the city, you can still find candy for under 25 cents at your local bodega.

The Fort Washington Armory was built in 1911 to house the headquarters for the 22nd Regimental Armory. Over the next century, it would morph into a homeless shelter and then a track-and-field venue, where today, thousands of young runners—and professionals—across the city flock after school for practice and track meets. It is also home to the National Track & Field Hall of Fame.

Schoolchildren fill a classroom at the Queens Library Flushing Branch in 1913. The New York Public Library and its dozens of branches serve as a popular after school locale for students across the city to attend programming, study, or work on homework after class.

New York City has been home to some of the most iconic toy stores in the country, including FAO Schwarz, the American Girl Place, and the Times Square Toys R Us. Hammerstein's Olympia Theater, above, underwent renovations in 2000 to house the Toys R Us, which even featured an indoor Ferris Wheel.