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Roar! A little while ago I was thinking about how I've always liked that US dollars are known as greenbacks! It's a pretty sweet name and I love that dollars have a green back just like me! Then I realized that I don't actually know that much about greenbacks and that was something I needed to change! So the other day I went over to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York to learn all about money and also to see one of the largest collections of gold in the world! Seeing as it's been so cold lately it will be nice to soak up some golden rays!
Here I am outside the federal reserve bank. It's here that all monetary policy in the United States in implemented and all the currency for the north east it distributed. It's a pretty impressive building and takes up a whole city block! Talk about huge!
It turned out that no photos were allowed inside the building so I made this artistic rendering of what it was like inside the vault! So much gold! It turns out there was more gold than in Fort Knox! There was so much gold it would take 14 dump trucks to hold it all! Hmm... I think I remember hearing something about that, but when?
Unlike Fort Knox most of the gold in the Federal Reserve Bank belongs to other countries. All of the vaults are anonymous and only a few people know whose gold is in each vault. What's strange is that when major financial transactions occur between nations it really just amounts to someone moving some gold from one vault to another.
The gold was really impressive but that's not why I came to the reserve bank! I came here to learn about money! I turns out the Reserve Bank isn't just where they distribute currency, but they also store it, inspect it, and also destroy any of it no longer fit for circulation! It's a big job and it takes a big bank to do it all! Roar!
One other cool thing at the Federal Reserve was an exhibit on the history of coins but on by the American Numismatic Society. They had coins from all over the world there and some of the rarest coins in the world, including a Confederate half dollar, an 1804 silver dollar, and the 1933 gold double eagle! The 1933 gold double eagle is worth over 8 million dollars! That's no small change! Roar!
I was feeling pretty hungry after my trip to the reserve. Luckily for there was a Golden Krust near by! Talk about thematically appropriate! Roar!
The Reserves vault was pretty well protected but I did manage to get some money from the vault! Check out this sweet bag of "Real" Money that the reserve gave away as a free gift!
The reserve also had a ton of cool free comics all about Money and Banks! These should have the information about money that I've been looking for!
WOAH! Check out this super sweet time machine! That sure is one handy way to learn about the history of money! Though it also makes me wonder what the future of money will look like? Will we end up trading in gold-pressed latinum or will we find ourselves fighting for survival, willing to risk it all for a tank of juice?! Who knows? Roar!
Roar! Today I decided to take a visit to part of New York's "forgotten" history. Most people have heard of New York's infamous Five Points seen in big budget, Hollywood movies like Gangs of New York, but few know the "pints" was built on the former site of Collect Pond Park. Collect Pond Park was a small pond in lower Manhattan that during the 18th century was a popular picnic spot and ice skating location. Then once industry took over in the early 19th century it turned into one of New York City's many dumping grounds and quickly became known as one of the most polluted sites in the city. The pond was filled in and though many people said it was daft to build in a swamp the city went right on to develop Collect Pond Park. After several different developments sank into the swamp, they built the Five Points District, and the Five Points stayed up! Roar!
The Five Points was so notorious for being the absolute worst neighborhood in the city that when the city was re-developing downtown the city planners made it a point to built right over where the Five points had been and hopefully erase it from memory, even possibly from history! Roar! Here I am at the current day Collect Pond Park. This small, urban park is one of the few reminders of the old area.
Roar! It's also the most rat infested area in the city! Because the park is still technically below grade it has become a major breeding ground. There are literally hundreds of rats here! Some of them have even broken off into factions! It turns out the Native Rats of Collect Pond Park are fighting with all the rats that are moving there from other parts of the city!
Most of the rats spend there time hiding in all the ivy growing all over the park. It turns out the main immigrant rat group, the Dead Mice, were holing up in the ivy preparing for war with the Native Rats! Things are looking pretty bad down here in Collect Pond Park, someone needs to remind all these rats just whose paws built this park! Roar!
