A unique flower and bulb show in the New York Botanical Garden.

On Broadway ........

 

Cookie comes indeed from the Dutch word 'Koekje'

4,5 Million Americans have Dutch Roots

The Word Dollar comes from the Dutch word 'Daalder'

Yankee comes from the Dutch Word 'Jan-Kees'

The Netherlands was the first country to recognize the US flag in 1776

The Netherlands is the fourth largest investor in the United States

800 Dutch Companies in the U.S. employee 350,000 Americans

Dutch Products in the U.S.
Skippy Peanut Butter
Ponds'
Ben en Jerry's
Hellman's
Slim Fast
Dove
------------------------------------

Kind Regards,

Bart Hendrikx

It may be of great interest to visit Lindenwald in Kinderhook, NY. It is the presidential museum of Martin Van Buren, who was the first president
of the USA to be born an American citizen of Dutch descent. He was known as the "Red Fox of Kinderhook". It is 22O acre farm outside of Albany and if you can't get there from Holland, you can always take the virtual tour on their website, which is very interesting.

Incidentally, someone has mentioned on your website that the Holland Tunnel is representative of Dutch influence, but that is inaccurate. The tunnel is
named after Clifford M. Holland, who was the engineer from Somerset, Massachusetts. It was considered at the time to be an engineering wonder of the world and unfortunately, Mr. Holland died before it opened which is why the tunnel is named after him.

Best,

Meg le Cote

The American word "crooner" derelicts from the Dutch word "kreuner", which means "moaner" (kreunen: to moan).

Interesting in my opinion is that the word crooner became popular in NY during the thirties with the increasing popularity of singers like Frank
Sinatra and Bill Crosby at a time when the influence of the Dutch language in New York had disappeared almost completely.

So why had it become a popular word so much later in time?

I understood that Dutch was spoken in NY-state until the second half of the nineteenth century, mostly in remote villages of Dutch origin or elsewhere in family circles.

I can understand that, being Dutch, the hardworking, no nonsense protestants of those days had little affection for a male singer of sentimental songs and found them "moaners", actually not real men, men
from another planet, good with women, that sort...

Anyhow, crooners must already have been living in NY in those days that Dutch was still spoken in NY and around, more than a hundred years before.

If someone is willing to tell me more about this word and/or historical facts concerning the Dutch language in New York in general, please enlighten me.

Frank Dordregter
frankdordregter404@wxs.nl

My name is Mariska Hammerstein. I'm a Dutch writer in Amsterdam.

I'm reacting to you suggestion to send in examples of 'Dutch DNA in New York'.

Less than half a year ago a children's book I wrote on Peter Stuyvesant and New York/New Amsterdam was published (in Dutch). It's called Een ordeloze bende. (Meaning: A Disorderly Lot)
In the book I added several examples of names and words in New York (and surroundings) which have Dutch origines.

Pancakes = pannenkoeken
Cookie = koekje
Boss = baas
Spuyten Duyvil = In spite of the devil (famous legend)

And there are all kinds of names that have been translated from Dutch (you already mentioned Wall Street):
Harlem = Haarlem (Dutch city)
Broadway = Brede Weg
Coney Island = Konijnen Eiland [Rabbits Island]
Governor's Island = Gouverneurs Eiland
Staten Island = Staten Eiland
Gravesend = Gravesande (Dutch city)
Hampstead = Heemstede (Dutch city)
Flushing = Vlissingen (Dutch city)
Bowery Street = after the "Bouwerij" [farm] of Peter Stuyvesant
Long Island = Lange Eiland
Stone Street = Steenstraat [The first dirt street in New Amsterdam that got paved; before it was paved with cobblestones it was called Brouwerstraat, whih means Brewer Street]
Marketfield Street = after the Dutch Marckveldt [the marketplace]
Maiden Lane = het Maagdenpaatje (the path the Dutch maids took to go an do the laundry in the open air)

Sincerely,
Mariska Hammerstein

I saw your request for pictures that trace Dutch "DNA" in NYC. I actually started making pictures on the theme "Holland in New York" some 1.5 years ago, after I had moved to Boston, MA. Every time I visit New York I look for sights that document the Dutch history of Manhattan, as well as present-day Dutch influence.

Just a few examples:
- Amsterdam Avenue
- Tulip "Prinses Irene" as spotted in Central Park in April 2007.
- Construction of Ben van Berkel's first major American builing in TriBeCa.
- Holland Tunnel
- New York licence plate "REMBRNDT"
- Amsterdam Billiard and Bar on 11th Street
- Heineken billboard at Penn Station: "Born in Holland. Raised in NY".

Best,
Arjan van Dijk

Dear all,

waiting on Schiphol airport, Amsterdam, for my flight into the States,
reading your website...

if I'm well informed, New York is the only US town where the sidewalk
is called "stoep", right?
"stoep" is dutch... ;-) So... our DNA is even embedded in your streets !

I don't know if the wikipedia page on this
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_stoop) is correct though ; it
seems to me that the Wikipedia explanation is way more complicated
than real life, little over-analysed ;-) All the sidewalks in Holland
are simply called "stoep". So, not the staircase is de stoep, but the
sidewalk itself. Every parent in Holland will after their first steps
tell their children "walk on the stoep!" ; where dogs are trained
-not- to shit on the stoep of course but to do their thing in the
"goot" (gutter).

Cheers! Frank
Holland