Here's '50s footage of New York City's Greenwich Village.

An aerial shot pans from clouds to views of manhattan. Overhead shot of Washington Square Arch and fifth avenue. A street level shot of the same, with busses passing under the arch. CU of the arch pans out to Washington Square with people sitting on the steps. Shots the square: people sitting on benches, a shoe shiner, women and children walking along, children in a sand box, a little boy drinking from a water fountain, a little girl on a swing set pushed by an older girl. More shots of children playing on swings, slides, and play structures while the narrator describes the park as a haven. Old men in hats and coats play checkers. The camera pans to the adjacent apartment buildings as the narrator talks about a young iconoclasts that replaced the old american way of life and became the idols of a new generation (Melies, Dreiser, etc)