Further -- I need to junk the old mattress and box springs. I remember seeing a van with a sign about "green" recycling & disposal of same. Ring any bells?

If you don't find a friend, rent a pickup truck from a budget car rental. This is only one location, out of five Enterprise Rent-A-Car stores, that I searched in SF. For 63 bucks it might be something you're interested in.

Zipcar has vans and small pickups for short-term rental. I use them for runs to Construction Junction or Home Depot.

post the junk one on craigslist as free but you haul it. free stuff goes fast

A queen size bed will fit on roof racks - put the box spring on the bottom, tie it reasonably tight, but not tight enough to bend the wires in the mattress and don't drive too fast. I've done it many times.

Won't help if you don't have a car and/or roof racks, of course.

I gotta car! (No roof rack but sounds promising ... )

Well, get yourself some roof racks, then! You'll be amazed what you can fit on them with a bit of ingenuity, combined with lots of rope and duct tape. Maybe cheaper that hiring a truck, too.

My last move (four years ago) was a really short one, about 2 miles. I didn't have roof rack on the car I had back then. I did two trips, one for the mattress and one for the box spring. We just rolled the windows down and roped it to the roof. We drove slow and it was a piece of cake.

Caveat: I live in a small, really really flat town. I did it on a Sunday afternoon when there wasn't much traffic. Castro is a much busier area and you might piss of a bunch of drivers.

I think traditionally you are meant to drive with one arm on the steering wheel and one arm out the window, holding the mattress.

Now I'm not saying you should....
but I have moved a similar item via ropes and the roof of a 1992 dodge shadow which is not a large car.

I think traditionally you are meant to drive with one arm on the steering wheel and one arm out the window, holding the mattress.
Heh, done that too.