Dress transport: WWYD?

AmJam04 · December 2012

I found my dress at a salon in the heart of downtown San Francisco -- it's a big ballgown with a hoop skirt. I basically have two options for getting it home:

1) Drive
2) Take BART (basically an above ground subway)

Driving to san francisco is a huge PITA, but parking is a NIGHTMARE. I'm pretty sure this area of S.F. has no parking other than street parking -- so I hope you can imagine the insanity which may arise with this situation.
However, a BART station is a good 10 minute walk from the salon, which means I'd be lugging this huge dress over my shoulder for half mile only to then squeeze it on board a usually-packed train.

So what would you do?
Suck it up and deal with parking? Or do some pre-pickup workouts so you can carry the dress half-mile through the heart of a hilly city?

QueerFemme · December 2012

I work in SF and live in the east bay and take bart every day. No way on the planet I would take a wedding gown on bart. You should drive. Talk to the salon about recommended parking garages nearby. Park in the garage, go try your dress on, make sure its all good, then. Go get your car from the garage and drive around to the store and double park for 2 minutes and have your consultant bring your dress out. I don't know which salon you are working with, but parking isn't horrible in the city on the weekends. Ask the salon what the best time of day/week is to come by and be able to get parking. I'm sure they have had this question come up before. If you reallllllly don't want to drive, have them ship your dress to you after you've gone in to try it on. But I again, highly discourage taking it on bart.

Maggie0829 · December 2012

Drive. I realize that driving and parking may be a PITA, but you are only going to have to do it once so keep reminding yourself of that when you are getting frustrated and yelling at other drivers.

HobokensFury · December 2012

I'm imagining Bart being like the NYC subway. There is no way in hell I would take my wedding dress on public transportation.

B2Z728 · December 2012

Definitely drive. Aside from other PP's good suggestions, you could bring a friend with you have her circle the area until you are ready to go with dress in hand, then have her stop in front of the salon. I'd then buy your friend a drink or treat them to dinner for thanking her for the favor.

QueerFemme · December 2012

<div align="left">In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_attire-accessories_dress-transport-wwyd?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:15Discussion:56ca20b8-dccb-450d-ba7f-939f3095cfbfPost:c1f8572c-3043-4d9a-8e6d-d5f9007475fd">Re: Dress transport: WWYD?</a>:
[QUOTE]I'm imagining Bart being like the NYC subway. There is no way in hell I would take my wedding dress on public transportation.
Posted by HobokenBride2012[/QUOTE]

It's similar to the NYC subway, maybe a little wider/cleaner. A friend of mine who used to take the NJ Path Train used to say it was much nicer and cleaner than the NYC subway. I've only taken the subway in NY, but never the path train. But, if that is correct, our BART would be similar to the path train, and our MUNI would be the same as the NYC subway.

Either way though, BART is no place for a wedding dress. I drive into the city all the time, parking sucks and you do have to circle around to find a spot, but there are spots to be had, especially on weekends.

OP - the other option is to park your car somewhere out of the city (like the closest non-city bart station, from the direction you'll be coming), and take a cab to your car. It will cost you 30-40 bucks, but if you are that stressed about parking in the city, it may be worth it.</div>

AmJam04 · December 2012

Thanks everybody for the great suggestions!
I didn't even think of bringing someone along to maybe circle the block until I come out...

cmgilpin - it's at Jin Wang right between the financial district and china town. I'm sure if I'm lucky I could find parking, I just remember it being chaos when we went to find it in the first place (on a Saturday)

QueerFemme · December 2012

<div align="left">In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_attire-accessories_dress-transport-wwyd?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:15Discussion:56ca20b8-dccb-450d-ba7f-939f3095cfbfPost:8e455aec-2aa9-4be0-8844-474741f39318">Re: Dress transport: WWYD?</a>:
[QUOTE]Thanks everybody for the great suggestions! I didn't even think of bringing someone along to maybe circle the block until I come out... cmgilpin - it's at Jin Wang right between the financial district and china town. I'm sure if I'm lucky I could find parking, I just remember it being chaos when we went to find it in the first place (on a Saturday)
Posted by AmJam04[/QUOTE]

Ahhhh. Ok. I even reinforce my "NO WAY TO BART" opinion. Not only will bart suck, but that is a pretty good hike through very very busy streets.

Chinatown can get pretty busy on Saturdays. I would suggest a later afternoon appointment for better parking options. There is a big parking garage on Sutter and another on Geary. Within a 2 block walk from there. You'll have to pay for parking, but you should be able to get in and out pretty easily.</div>

[Deleted User] · December 2012

I live in London and there is NO WAY I would/ could have taken my dress on the tube. It took up the back of my mom's SUV.

Take a taxi!

Dress transport: WWYD?

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