Actually, with NY400 the two nations celebrate 400 years of history and shared values: freedom, tolerance and equal opportunities. NY400 is an initiative of the Dutch government in cooperation with local agencies, the Henry Hudson 400 Foundation, cultural institutions, companies and private individuals in the US and the Netherlands. The events on the occasion of the anniversary have started as early as January 2009 and continue up until July 2010. However, the big party kicks off this August and culminates during the NY400 week, September 8-13. The celebrations aim to “invade” New Yorkers’ every day lives and give them a taste of Holland, the country who delivered their wonderful city to the world.
Ride your bike!
One example on how this can be achieved is through bike riding! The Netherlands is the only country with more bikes than people and this makes them qualified to teach the Americans the “ride” way of doing things. To make a good start, on three consecutive Saturdays in August (August 8, 15 & 22), Park Avenue and connecting streets from the Brooklyn Bridge to Central Park will close to motor vehicles for the Summer Streets, a green and sustainable transportation campaign designed to give New Yorkers a chance to get out and enjoy their streets freely! The 6.9 mile stretch of NYC’s streets will be car-free from 7am to 1pm.
In September, during the NY400 Week, New Yorkers can experience the typical Dutch way to get around town! Bright orange bicycles will be available for free to the public on a limited basis from 5 to 12 of September.
Also on September 9-10, bikers will have the opportunity to explore Brooklyn and Lower Manhattan and discover the Dutch history around. The tours are hosted by Bike the Big Apple, New York's original bike tour company. 3.5-hour bike tours will run from 11am to 2.30pm and from 3.30 to 7pm, beginning and ending at the NY400 Bike Kiosk at Bowling Green Park, Downtown Manhattan.
The next three days are a real test! Two teams of pioneering Dutch and American planners & designers will present their visions to bring New York City cycling up to the level of the Netherlands. Spread over three days, from 11 to 13 of September, the New Amsterdam Bike Slam is a battle, a bridge, a conference, a cocktail, a dance party, and a path forward.
If all this activity made you hungry, you can always get a taste of Holland during NiEuW Amsterdam Restaurant Week, which is actually two weeks, running from 5 to 20 of September. To commemorate the purchase of Manna-hata, today's Manhattan, for only 60 Dutch guilders (about $24), over 50 restaurants primarily in Downtown Manhattan will be offering the $24 Taste NiEuW Amsterdam Menu.
The NY400 week
The NY400 week of celebration opens on September 8 with a colorful flotilla of Dutch ships sailing into New York Harbor to the sound of a 21-gun salute. The flotilla will include naval frigates, a NATO swuadron of eight ships, 20 flat-bottomed boats, the replicas of the Halve Maen and Onrust, and 30 Flying Dutchman sailboats.
On September 9 the Prince of Orange will open the New Amsterdam Plein and Pavilion, a gift from the Netherlands to New York. Starting on September 10, Governors Island, the birthplace of New Amsterdam, will be the setting of the New Island Festival, complete with New York editions of the Dutch Oerol and Parade festivals –theatrical and cultural events new to the United States. In former Coast Guard stations, director Renny Ramakers of Droog Design will create innovative design experiences.
Dutch and US experts will be sharing their knowledge in the fields of water management, big-city health care, and municipal finance at conferences and workshops. New York’s foremost museums will be hosting exhibits of Dutch art, from Vermeer’s Milkmaid to photographer Hendrik Kerstens’ Napkin. There will also be many historical exhibits about the arrival of the first Dutch settlers on Manhattan and the Dutch influence on New York.
From September 12 at the South Street Seaport Museum, the Dutch National Archives will be displaying their extraordinary collection of documents, including the Schaghen letter, old maps and Johannes Vingboons’ watercolors of New Amsterdam.
The week closes with Harbor Day, a festive day for New Yorkers and Dutch visitors on the Hudson and in Manhattan’s waterfront parks. Harbor Day will begin with sailing races and a flotilla, and end with a fly-over featuring F16 fighter jets. Visitors will be able to enjoy entertainment in the parks and travel from place to place with free bikes and ferries. The Prince of Orange and Princess Máxima of the Netherlands will be joining celebrations in the NY400 week, together with many guests from the Netherlands and the US.
Skywalking in October
October 2009 sees the Grand Opening of the World’s longest and highest
Urban Park and people will have the opportunity to see a new vista and encounter something that no one has had the opportunity to do before. This is, after all, the essence of
Hudson's voyage up the river that now bears his name -adventure- to go where no one has gone before. Those who step on the
Walkway over the Hudson on October 2, 3 & 4, will have that experience. People literally will be "high as kites" and "walking on Air."