In 1626, Peter Minuit famously brought Manhattan from the Algonquins for $24. 1625 was the founding year of the settlement of New Amsterdam (now New York City), which began as a trading post in 1624. But long before that, in Sept 1609, a ship belonging to the East India Company sailed into what is now known as the New York Harbor. The ship was the Halve Maen (Half Moon in English), commissioned by the Dutch, and captained by English explorer Henry Hudson. The ship was out on a quest to find an eastern passage through to China.

Hudson sailed along the river (now the Hudson River) upto Albany, and as he turned around and exited the estuary, he named the natives residing on both sides as the 'Manahata'. And so was born New Amsterdam which later morphed into New York, along the island of Manhattan and the Hudson River and many other things and places which still retain their Dutch heritage in the most famous metropolis in the modern world - New york City. Photo by philipmatarese via flickr (creative commons).

And so New York is celebrating it's 400th Birthday in September 2009. Mention also needs to be made of Frenchman Samuel de Champlain, who, in the same year, first laid eyes on the lake which now bears his name. To make it even more special, 2009 is also the 200th anniversary of Robert Fulton’s maiden journey up the Hudson River on the first successful steamboat.

To mark this special occasion, the State, in partnership with the people and government of Netherlands, has put together an impressive array of events all through 2009, with exhibitions, shows, and archictechtural masterpieces showcasing the City's joint Dutch, English and French heritage.

Listed below are details of all the attractions in New York, scheduled for the NYC 400 celebrations, which kicked off in March.

Good place to start is the Henry Hudson 400 Foundation, established simultaneously in both New York and Amsterdam to help celebrate the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson.

Henry Hudson 400, along with the Dutch National Archives and the National Parks of New York Harbor Conservancy at Federal Hall, have set up a walking tour, The New Amsterdam Trail. This tour will take you on a journey back in time, with glimpses of 17th Century Dutch New York, including New York Harbor, Pearl Street (site of the City's first Church), Fort Amsterdam (currently the Museum of the American Indian) and the bowery (farm) of Peter Stuyvesant, among others. Photo by thetruthabout via flickr (creative commons).

The celebrations really kick into gear during the actual NYC 400 Week (Sept 8-13). One of the highlights of NYC 400 will be the unveiling of the New Amsterdam Plein & Pavilion in Battery Park in late 2009, a gift from the Netherlands designed by Ben van Berkel.

But there's a gazillion other events scheduled in between now and September. You can see the full list of all scheduled events, exhibitions and shows here and here, but here's a few of the good ones.

Dutch Masterworks at the MET - The MET's collection of over 200 Dutch Masterworks includes 20 paintings by Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, 18 by Vincent van Gogh, 11 by Frans Hals, and five of the 35 known paintings by Johannes Vermeer, among others. (Permanent collection)

Mannahatta/Manhattan: A Natural History of New York City - The Museum of the City of New York, in partnership with the Wildlife Conservation Society, presents a vision of New York City as Henry Hudson and early Dutch explorers encountered it in 1609. (May 19 - October 13)

New Amsterdam Festival, Governors Island - For the run of the New Amsterdam Festival, a collaboration between the world-famous Oerol and De Parade festivals, Governors Island, located in the heart of New York Harbor, becomes a stage for renowned Dutch and American musical artists. Free ferry service will be provided. (September 10–13, 17–20)

I haven't seen any New York hotels offering NYC 400 specials or package deals, but if you really want a themed NYC 400 package deal, check back here around May-June, and I'm pretty sure I'll have updated this hub with a nice list.