Now, more than 50 years later, WLIW New York takes viewers back to the old days with the premiere of NEW YORK THE WAY IT WAS: Wish You Were Here. Wish You Were Here explores how New Yorkers of the 1930s, '40s, and '50s spent their leisure time. From the rides, boardwalks, and beaches of Coney Island, to "The Mountains," to roller rinks and bowling alleys, New Yorkers took to their free time with gusto.

"Simple fun was part of growing up in New York," said John Manbeck, who spent his youth in the city. "I didn't think too much about the various amusements, we just did things. And it was free, it was accessible." While neighborhood pleasures consumed many of the children, the young adults would pay a mere 35 cents for a night at one of 27 local roller rinks.

"It was just a very popular sport where you could get a bus or a subway and go from rink to rink and come home 2 o'clock in the morning. It was really fun," said Chester Fried during an interview for the segment on skating.

But the fun didn't stop in the city proper. New Yorkers were fond of traveling north to the infamous mountains. Children would be dropped off at sleep-away camp, while parents continued on to one of a number of luxurious resorts in the Catskills.

"The whole idea was to keep the guests happy," said Van Harris, a worker from the Grossinger Resort. "They are in this marvelous state of euphoria, the Catskill Mountains." But getting to the Catskills was no picnic, especially since major thruways did not exist. Guests would arrive by railroad or bus. Others would travel by hired cars at $3.50 per person.

"I had a job of driving what we called a mountain hack," explained Willie Bly. "They're usually seven-passenger cars. They were held together with Scotch Tape because you couldn't get parts. We'd make a little prayer that we'd get there without breaking down, because if we did we were in big trouble."

Several people interviewed shared a common view of the old days: Leisure time was not spent alone. New Yorkers wanted to get away from the rat race but they wanted to take their friends with them.

Radio personality "Cousin Brucie" Morrow said, "It was the we generation. Hey, let's do this, or wouldn't it be fun to do this. Let's go to the ball game, let's play stickball, let's go to the lots. How 'bout bowling, how 'bout a good movie? Let's go to Coney Island, let's do something. We did things together."

This nostalgic journey depicts a time when New Yorkers gathered in common places to celebrate their freedoms, opportunities and dreams for the future. To all the good times that were had, this sentimental tour offers a heartfelt thought... Wish You Were Here.

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