The vault

In order to get inside the vault, it is necessary to pass through a 10-foot entryway that was carved from a 90-ton steel cylinder, and which rotates vertically inside a steel and concrete framing weighing 140 tons. According to the Fed, the passageway into the vault is 80 feet below the surface street above, and the vault is on top of a foundation--one of the few in New York City--capable of supporting the weight of the vault and the gold inside.

Click here to read the related story on the New York Fed's gold vault, and click here to check out the entire Road Trip 2010 package.