Delicate transportation
 

Mrs. Dallas has a set of fairly old Wedgewood china and Waterford crystal, which came down to her from her late parents. The problem is, it's currently in Chicago at her brother's house, where her mother lived for a while. There is no shipping method that she would trust to bring the stuff back out to Philadelphia without damaging something--obviously there is a lot of sentimental value here in addition to whatever intrinsic cash value is there.

So how to accomplish this? She could fly out, and then rent a car to drive back with the goods. But that's getting slightly expensive. (One-way car rentals are murder.) (As a complication we are also combining this with a trip to Boston. I realize that doesn't make a lot of sense but a) we were already planning to visit friends there for July 4 and b) one of the friends is already going to Chicago on business and could provide company & help with driving on the way back to Boston.)

There has to be an easier? cheaper? way to get these dishes back to Philadelphia without running a risk of breakage. Right?

Sycamore LOVES going to Chicago, and he has been hinting that he wants to make a trip to Philadelphia some time in the near future ...

I'd be willing to do it...for a fee. Seriously.

ROAD TRIP
The pioneers moved delicate shit all the way across country in Conastoga wagons by packing it in flour or sawdust. Flour tends to be heavy so pack in sawdust, mark fragile, glass and this side up. Then go down and put it on a Greyhound bound for philly and be there when the bus pulls in. Shipping by bus is cheap. For a little more you can buy the shit a damn ticket, tie it to the seat and slip the driver a twenty, better yet a couple of them, and it will be cool.


I'm totally serious, greyhound rocks for everthing except people.

Heh. Rode the dog from Seattle WA to Sumter SC from 11 Sep 2001 to 15 Sep 2001. I had a family emergency and that was the first thing smokin. Actually, it was eerie to be out on the open road and see zero contrails. The bus ride seemed interminable, but I had no other options, and I had to travel.

Greyhound is cheap and often, but no fun unless you have a shitload of sleeping pills.
However that cheap and often is very handy for shipping as long as you can meet the incoming bus. That takes being kind of flexible, but it's not a good idea to let shit hang around the bus station. From what I've seen their security for packages is not great.