Upon further consideration, I've decided I didn't give the Bureau of Engraving and Printing a fair shake. So, here's a little bit more about how our paper currency is made.
First of all, there are no pictures, because picture taking is forbidden in the Bureau. They are very serious about this, and make sure you know it with signs posted everywhere about the likelihood you will be tackled by armed guards and your pictures will be confiscated if you do. They were also very serious about the prohibited nature of cell phones and the importance of making sure your phone was on silent. That is, until the woman in front of us phone started ringing. Loudly. She answered it in what I think was intended to be a discreet way, but was anything but. It didn't help that the woman she was with was holing a suit clad three year old who was wailing and squirming in her arms. The tour guide said nothing.
To be fair, the poor tour guide seemed at her wits end. She tried to be nice, but she was so painfully aware of how boring her job was, she was struggling.
In an effort to make it seem more light and fun, signs had been hung around the stations. They said witty things like "You feel bad? I just saw my entire life salary pass through my fingers in less than ten minutes." They were mostly just depressing. Also, I'm not sure who they thought they were fooling. There isn't a chance in hell the employees who actually worked the floor wrote any of those signs.
At the end of the tour was a gift shop, of course. In it, they sold bags of chopped up money and plastic necklaces with giant dollar signs on them.
So, now you know the joys of touring the BEP. You're welcome.
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