Hudson on the Amstel

Steven Pemberton, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

About me

English; resident in Amsterdam since 1982

Researcher in Informatics at Centrum voor Wiskunde en Informatica (first European Internet site)

Was asked to organise local arrangements for a large international computer conference in Amsterdam in 1993

Wrote a guide for the conference and put it online immediately. Top result for "Amsterdam Guide". Number 3 result for "Amsterdam".

50,000 visitors per month

Purpose

In 2009 New York will be celebrating the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson's discovery of Manhattan. See for instance http://www.ny.gov/governor/press/02/feb13_1_02.htm and http://www.hudsonrivervalley.net/themes/HFCQ.php

The river next to Manhattan is named after him.

Although most Americans know about him, and know he was English, fewer know he was working for the VOC when he made the discovery.

Amsterdam

Amsterdam has an unused jewel in its crown: The West-Indischhuis on the Herenmarkt, a beautiful old building from 1617.

West Indische Huis

Although not the building where the decision was made to send Hudson, it was the building from where New Amsterdam was managed, and even has a statue of Pieter Stuyvesant in the courtyard

West-Indisch huis as the Museum of New Amsterdam

Americans would find it fascinating. It would be a reason to visit Amsterdam.

They are only now becoming aware of the Dutch roots of New York

There are many left-overs from Dutch and the Dutch in the USA and American English

Words: like Cookie, Stoop, Boss, Cole Slaw, Berm, Santa Claus

Place names: like Harlem, Brooklyn, The Bronx, The Bowery, Wall Street, ...

Products

These are mostly books

Cradle of New York

Amsterdam, Cradle of New York, Geurt Brinkgreve, translated by Andrew McCormick, Elsevier Science Publishing Company, 1985 (Out of Print)

The Legend of New Amsterdam by Peter Spier

The Island at the Centre of the World, Russell Shorto

island

Sponsors

ING was the bank that funded the Louisiana Purchase, and is very active in the USA now (though they may not want to profile themselves as Dutch in the USA).

Timing

Time is short.