New Amsterdam Village at NY 400 Week

NY400 Week honored the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson's arrival in New York Harbor. There were a series of cultural events that celebrated the friendship, between New York and the Kingdom of the Netherlands.  I had a chance to visit the New Amsterdam Village, which was a temporary pop-up installation of 12 replica Dutch canal houses, a windmill, and various kiosks with Dutch crafts. In addition several people sampled traditional foods like cheese, beer, herring and "dollar" pancakes. Here are several photos from my visit.  The village was set up at the entrance of the National Museum of the American Indian, which is an incredible, free Smithsonian Museum on Bowling Green in Manhattan.

I watched Jacques Coolen of Erkend bloemsierkunstenaar make beautiful candy flowers!

Yes, the wooden shoemaking demonstration was quite intriguing.  The festiveal also featured Delft blue painiting, and glassblowing demonstrations.

The view of New Amsterdam Village with the National Museum of the American Indian in the background.

There were even greenhouses to showcase the Dutch innovations in greenhouses, and solar energy. There were also several displays of Dutch bulbs.