Some folks on this forum think that financial meltdown is the golden goose for Bitcoin, however, I don't believe this is true or wish it on the poor innocent people that will be adversely affected from it. I think Bitcoin needs a much smoother transition into the mainstream, and I think we need at least a few more years of infrastructure development.
It is a race against time. If bit coin is ready it would be a natural choice for people to preserve their wealth. If it happens before the infrastructure is in place it could get rather chaotic. We would need not only reliable and quick ways to exchange it but a robust payment processing system. These things are happening as we speak. Hopefully it is in place before the next big crisis.