400th Anniversary of Henry Hudson Invasion Kicks Off Week of Dutch Treats

Mayor Bloomberg and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met the Dutch royal couple at the Intrepid to celebrate the 400th Anniversary of Henry Hudson's historic sail down the Hudson. A replica of Hudson's ship, the Half-Moon, and other antique vessels sailed past and received a 21-gun salute; Willem-Alexander, Crown Prince of Orange, and his wife Princess Maxima smiled and said nice things; Clinton made a speech that even the State Department could be bothered to record in its entirety ("And today, our two nations are united not only by our long history, but our common values and our shared hope" -- she also said she likes tulips). Bloomberg tried to get people interested in "Dutch festivals" to be celebrated this week, culminating in the city's first Harbor Day, which will include an Oyster Festival, free bike rentals, sailing races, and such like, but regrettably no legal marijuana or hashish. Still, it sounds like fun, and a far better way to observe the anniversary than the portents of doom favored by some.