After my ESPN internship, my mother and sister went to pick me up. On the way back from Rocky Hill, CT, we stopped in New York City – going there was my mother’s dream. We walked all over the place – lower Manhattan to Wall Street to Chinatown to Little Italy. While walking in the financial district, we stopped at Bowling Green, which is the oldest park in New York City. For those who didn’t know, New York was at one point called New Amsterdam. The Dutch were the first to colonize what is now known as NYC. Thus, the NYC flag shares the same colors as the flag of the United Netherlands, also known as the Dutch Republic. At that time, the Dutch Republic was at war with the Spanish Empire and its king, Phillip II. This is know as the Dutch War of Independence.
From about 1638 to 1647, this area served as as a cattle market and parade ground for what was known as New Amsterdam. The name ‘Bowling Green’ comes from the fact that the new owners were supposed to install a lawn for bowling. The British eventually took over the place in 1667 during the Treaty of Breda. From then on, New Amsterdam became known as New York in honor of the Duke of York who was none other than James II, King of England.
History is amazing!
