Co-sponsored by the Salmagundi Club, the Coffee House Club, and the Merchant’s House Museum

If you’ve ever taken a look at the official Seal of the City of New York, you’ve seen the year “1625” written across the bottom. But why was that year picked as the genesis of New York?

Marking the 400th Anniversary of New York’s birth, James Nevius — whose family arrived in Manhattan when it was still New Amsterdam — will explore the foundations of the city, from Henry Hudson’s ill-fated voyage up the river that now bears its name through the eventual Dutch surrender to English forces in 1664.

Along the way, we’ll talk about the importance of 1625 in the city’s mythology and explore what it was like to live on the Dutch frontier in the 17th century.

Along with his wife Michelle, James Nevius is the author of multiple books about New York, including “Footprints in New York: Tracing the Lives of Four Centuries of New Yorkers,” and “Inside the Apple: A Streetwise History of New York City.” The couple is renowned for their profound grasp of New York City – then and now – and their escorted tours of the city are vastly popular.