New Amsterdam at 400: Explore the roots of New York City
When New York was Nieuw Amsterdam!
2024 is the 400th Anniversary of the landing of the Dutch in Lower Manhattan and the Bowery Boys New York History Podcast has released a brand-new mini-series on Amsterdam / New Amsterdam. This walking tour takes you back in time to explore the Dutch roots of New York.
How did the Dutch city of Nieuw Amsterdam become New York City? Who were the first families who came here from Europe and called it home? What was it about the Dutch culture that made this place so different and special?
On this tour, you will walk along the original street grid of New Amsterdam, visit one of Manhattan’s oldest preserved archaeological sites and learn about the complex history of 1600s New York.
Tour highlights will include:
- Learning about the European families who came here and why
- What were the political forces at play in Europe making some people want to leave
- Seeing how many of these families went on to become wealthy through commerce and trade in lower Manhattan
- Walking down the original shoreline of this island, learning how the municipal government was formed, and what industries helped build this place into the international trade center it is today
- Unpacking the Castillo Plan, the long-hidden map of Nieuw Amsterdam from 1660, which tells us who lived where and what they did for an occupation
- Why did the Dutch build a wall, and what was on the other side of it?
- What foods do we enjoy today that were given to us by the Dutch?
- Which Lower Manhattan office building was built over the original Dutch Street and must allow access to the public because of it
- Learn where the enslaved Africans who worked for the Dutch West India Company lived
- Who was Francisco de Niger, an enslaved person who bought his freedom and what did he have to do with the founding of Bushwick Brooklyn?
A review on Google for Ann:
“Ann is a wonderful guide! She showed us bits of New Amsterdam that I never would have found without!. I’m so glad I joined this tour”
The Tour
This tour walks around Lower Manhattan. It meets inside the Staten Island Ferry Terminal.
Duration
2 hours and 1.5 miles
Rates
$40
Please contact us to set up a private tour!
Ages
This tour is best suited for ages 12+
Guides
Ann McDermott has spent a good portion of her life working in and around Lower Manhattan. She is a native of Brooklyn with a keen interest in New York and its history. She knows these streets very, very well!
Beth Goffe is a longtime Upper West Side resident and NYC licensed tour guide who makes a habit of collecting interesting and entertaining stories about her home neighborhood.
Prep for the New Amsterdam Tour by listening to Bowery Boys episodes on mini-series about Amsterdam/New Amsterdam.