It's a big, big day for the Dutch here in New York, as the NY400 Week festivities kick off with the unveiling of the New Amsterdam Plein & Pavilion at the Battery, a "permanent gift from the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the people of New York." The fresh-off-the-plane Prince of Orange and Princess Máxima of The Netherlands are joining Mayor Bloomberg and other officials this morning to dedicate the fiberglass Pavilion, which will serve as a visitors' center. more ›

New York City welcomed royalty yesterday, as Crown Prince Willem-Alexander of Orange and Crown Princess Maxima were greeted by a 21-gun salute and welcomed by Mayor Bloomberg and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in a ceremony at the USS Intrepid. It's all part of the 400th anniversary celebration of Henry Hudson's arrival in the New York Harbor; the Crown Prince said, "It's an honor to be welcomed here by the Secretary of State and the mayor of this great city. Arriving in New York is always a great pleasure, and the pleasure increases with every visit." more ›

Yesterday, New Amsterdam Village, the miniature Dutch village, opened up in Bowling Green Park as part of the ongoing festivities surrounding the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson's arrival. Dutch ambassador to the United States Renée Jones-Bos and Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe made the village's opening formal by cutting a Gouda cheese! more ›

Those likable Dutch, to celebrate the quadricentennial of Hudson's arrival in New York harbor in 1609, are busy right now building a replica colonial village at Bowling Green. It's part of the NY400 Week celebration, which officially kicks off Tuesday September 8th, and includes a massive Dutch music, art, and dance festival on Governors Island (The New Island Festival), tours of the replica of Hudson's ship The Half Moon , sailing races, the unveiling of the New Amsterdam Pavilion (a gift from the Netherlands at Peter Minuit Plaza, Battery Park), an historic walking tour co-hosted by Russell Shorto, author of the stellar book The Island at the Center of the World; and a boatload more activities! [This pdf has it all.] more ›

Last night, the Macy's 4th of July Fireworks headed to the Hudson River. There were colorful displays, including smiley faces, cubes, Saturn shells and star dust, set off from six barges. Here are some photographs of the show—while folks along the East River were disappointed the show wasn't there this year, they could still see a bit of the pyrotechnics. more ›

Tomorrow night is the 33rd annual Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks. As we all know, the fireworks will take place over the Hudson River this year, to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the river's exploration by Henry Hudson. Expect a dazzling display of 45,000 shells (which will explode a rate of more than 1,500 per minute) from six barges, which is the most barges that Macy's has ever used. Fireworks designer Gary Souza told the Post that the Hudson "gives us a broader area to launch the fireworks from and makes the show that much more spectacular. It's one of the biggest and best shows we've ever put together." more ›

At a press conference with Dutch officials to announce plans for the joint Dutch- more ›