Classic NYC summer rituals through the decades

Children digging in the sand. Surfers gearing up for the next wave. A refuge from the heat in the shade of a tree.

The rituals of summer in the city haven’t changed much over the decades, though looking at these photos is a reminder that the warm weather and good times come and go too quickly.

So sit back, relax in the shade if you have to, and enjoy this image-by-image trip through summertimes of the past. After all, there is no endless summer in New York City, except in pictures and memory.