Tour of NYC Federal Reserve - To Do in New York Today

Every day, we post a one minute guide to one great thing happening today in New York City. We list doings that are inexpensive or completely free, social and 100% unique to New York. Designed for the curious local or savvy tourist, we aim to expose the eccentric and obvious all over NYC. Check back every morning to crack open a new nutshell

Take a tour of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York

You probably didn't know that the NYC's Fed Bank is one of 12 regional banks in the Federal Reserve system.  Mostly because that's not very interesting. You also probably didn't know that downtown New York City is home to the largest gold deposit in the world. The vaults at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York holds more than 200 billion dollars of gold most of being held for foreign countries. Well, you might have known that if you saw Die Hard III. 

The best part about it all is that you can actually visit the vaults where all of the gold is tightly guarded and kept safe. The Federal Reserve offers free tours daily of the bank. While not the most exciting and revolutionary museum in NYC, it provides a unique insight into the realm of big banking. The guided tour offers an overview of the Federal Reserve System, a History of Money Exhibit and, a lesson in FedWorks.

However, the highlight of the 45 minute tour is a trip several stories underground visit to the sacred Gold Vault and mingle with the 7,000 + tons of Gold. If you ask nicely, they may even let you strip down to your unmentionables  and swim around in cold coins a la Scrooge McDuck. Just try not to be intimated by the notorious big, not-messing-around security guards.

When: Monday through Friday (except, of course, bank holidays). Tours every hour on the hour from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM.

Where: 44 Maiden Lane between Williams and Nassau Street downtown
Cost:  Free, must be 16 and have ID

Category: Museums, Finance, Gold Diggers

More Details: http://www.ny.frb.org/aboutthefed/visiting.html