"We, in mass, are fortunately uncovering another secret previously understood by so few;
that it is never to late to live happily ever after."       - Limo Timo

In our beginnings, most of our clientele came onboard by word-of-mouth or as guests of those having used our services at other times.  Some begin by using our service as a business tool and a way to “carpool” or "vanpool" in more comfort with added services (like having special beverages on ice or other extras) and then may decide to share a similar experience with their family and friends.

These days, it is truly difficult to categorize a limo passenger. While in the beginning many of our clientele were business owners, CEOs of local corporations, or of some form of celebrity status, it is becoming more common for people from most any age, gender, and financial intensity, whether actively working or “retired”, to make some use of this "next level in carpooling."  Although we must admit that so-called retired people are commonly choosing to continue using their range of expertise far longer now, even if as a volunteer in a seemingly unrelated venue (transferable skills and adaptable knowledge).    It may be easier to mention the reasons they use a limousine service. 

And although our clientele have quickly grown to appear as an extremely diverse group of humanity ... too diverse to easily "categorize" them, when it comes to using our various vehicles and services, they seem to share some ideas in common ideas.  Those ideas more often shared seem to be for trips to and from airports, train stations, casinos, major concerts, professional sporting events, opera houses, weddings, fine dining, nightclubs and parties on wheels.

Even those ideas are proving to display themselves as a pattern of lifetime use.  A chosen limousine service is an alternative to needing one more garage bay.  Ideas for limo use are becoming less rarified and more of a common alternative to carpooling in several cars with one of the family members being picked to watch the road rather than join in the festivities or relaxation.  The chauffeur and limo are being realized as a valid savings and convenience as apposed to the old idea being ostentatious display of excess ... that secret of a limo as making sense is now being uncovered and made use of throughout one's life. 

In the past, there were the few uses most of us assumed were performed by limousine fleets for the elite … most of these impressions were perhaps gained from older black-&-white movies or news reels.  Perhaps an early impression a few generations back was the silent film comedy, "Limousine Love" (see more movie details by searching Limousine, Limo , Chauffeur, Driver, and more at the Internet Movie DataBase - www.IMDB.com). 

Hollywood had, and still has, a great deal to do with our ideas of limo uses.  Here are a few of the more prominent ideas of the past.: 

• Movie stars … going to premieres, film industry ceremonies and major hotels 
• Sports stars … out to dinner or to accept an award
• Corporate giants … going most anywhere or nowhere in particular, some operating large corporations, seemingly from the car 
• Funerary convoys … for the affluent having passed on    
• Weddings … primarily ceremonies of the wealthy in the “old days” 
• Politicians … especially in parades and at speaking opportunities    
• And only a few decades ago, there were far fewer limousine services even available or seen in most mid-sized or smaller communities (still the case in some areas).  So, perhaps there were many uses we just never saw or experienced, and therefore just didn’t think of them as available to most of the population.   

Now, things have broadened since the secret has come out about how useful a local limousine fleet and drivers actually can be. 

There are so many more commonly-known uses for limousine fleets that have become more often employed in recent years.  Uses listed below are perhaps not as diverse as the people who have reserved a car and driver, but they are so varied that we can only list the most common here.

To be a bit blunt, some of the uses more common around the turn of the millennium were inspired with the stiffer laws or regulations formed around alcohol and driving.  This is when we started using the term, “designated driver”.  More of us all the time were influenced to now be proactively responsible.  We did this by having at least one non-alcohol-drinking friend to do the driving for a group. 

This idea of being proactively responsible also worked with the concept of having at least one “night owl” to drive sleepy “early birds” back from late sporting events or concerts, even if not partaking of any form of thought impairing substances. 

[Side Note:  Did you know ... these Night Owl friends or chauffeurs who are usually quite fine with driving at very late hours are often people who were born within a few hours of midnight?  Interesting, is it not?] 

To allow everyone in the group to bow out of driving chores, we were eventually led to use of professional drivers chauffeuring us with use of their carpools, vanpools, buses, shuttles, taxi cabs, town-cars and limousine.  The cost of getting into trouble (morally and financially, as defined above) made it more economical and responsible to choose the alternatives ... more often left with the primary choices of a taxi cab or limo. And with more of both cabs and limos becoming common around us at all hours, competition brought costs down to a more reasonable rate for most of us. 

Some people, especially some who work from home, have found the cost of multiple vehicles for multiple uses simply too costly with payments, licensing, insurance, maintenance and more ... and have moved to renting all but the primary household vehicle; renting or hiring the specialized vehicles on a need bases. These days people can rent special use vehicles ... bigger or smaller cars, vans, sport-utility vehicles (SUVs), pickups, trucks, moving vans, motorcycles, boats (from canoes to yachts), airplanes (including jets), and with Virgin Galactic, perhaps space vehicles, fairly soon. Alternatives abound.

With those changes in safety and economics, we began seeing even more diverse uses, previously seen as out of reach for many, now within reason (in more ways than just financially). 

Why think of yourself as limited when it comes to moving family, friends, or associates from one point in an event to another?  Attitudes and feelings are changing our thoughts.  And with changes in thoughts come changes in belief, which then opens us up for changes in our realities.  Our imagination is the key to changing those thoughts, so why not picture yourself or your group as having fun and stretching out in our limousine?  Close your eyes and visualize the happy faces ... now give us a call to create your preferred reality.

Many happy people are creating plans for a regular limousine uses sprinkled over their lifetime. Here are some of the ways people are now using, and planning to use, our fleet of limousine and various services.:

·          School proms … although sometimes used for a couple, it is a service more commonly shared by several friends.

·          Bachelor and bachelorette parties … former designated drivers have often been the instigators behind finding a limo.

·          Weddings (especially from the church, to the reception, and perhaps on to the first stop of the honeymoon)

·          Safeco Field … a beautiful and modern field for the hosting of many amazing events such as our Seattle Mariners (http://seattle.mariners.mlb.com/) Major League Baseball (MLB) games. 

·          Qwest Field … (www.qwestfield.com) home to our Seattle Seahawks (www.seahawks.com) of the National Football League (NFL) … also home to our Seattle Sounders Football Club (www.soundersfc.com), still more commonly called “soccer” here, and another major attraction … and there are many more spectacular events such as concerts, due to the stadium’s high-tech facilities. 

·          KeyArena … (www.seattlecenter.com) is home to our Seattle Storm women’s basketball team (www.wnba.com/storm/) of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) who went to championship title after only four years in existence. Between Storm basketball events, KeyArena is the place for major musical concerts, boxing, wrestling, figure skating, gymnastics, hockey, tennis and more.

·          Husky Stadium at University of Washington campus (www.gohuskies.com) has annually been voted the most scenic football structure in the nation (USA), as a huge sports nest at the shore of Union Bay in Lake Washington … the north upper deck hold expansive views far beyond Seattle’s downtown; you can also see Mount Rainier and the Olympic Mountain Range.  Husky Stadium is home to many UW teams and events, most famously, the Huskies football team, often simply called the “Dawgs”.

·          Formal events … an evening of opera, ballet, ballroom or other event where a suite, tuxedo or gown might be worn and parking limited or absent of valet services.

We see more of these less spectacular, but reasonable uses to save fuel by “carpooling at the next level”, as well as running chores that may not be so convenient to do at times or on your own:

·          Shopping with a group of friends … such as at the outlet mall at North Bend, Washington.

·          Hospitals … picking up a loved one, especially if you are not in the area, or you have a fair size group greeting them and taking them home (and they are no longer in need of wheelchair or other more specialized vehicle services) and you want to take them home inspired. We must say here that if there are any special requirements for safety and comfort, you should consult their doctor first as for transportation suitability.

·          Diner Out … for some special occasion as basic as a birthday, anniversary or other moment to be remembered fondly.

And we are continually seeing a steep rise in reservations and use for concerts, airports, train stations, sporting events, and simply for letting loved ones feel how much we care:

·          2010 U.S. Senior Open … (www.2010ussenioropen.com) at the Sahalee Country Club in Sammamish, Washington, USA (425-868-8800) ... and we expect other Golf tournaments to follow, perhaps at The Golf Club at Newcastle (www.newcastlegolf.com)?  

·          Concerts most anywhere in and surrounding around our home county (King County, etcetera) … one concert site that is increasing in popularity, in spite of its off-the-beaten-track location, is White River Amphitheatre (www.whiteriverconcerts.com).  It is a Live Nation managed concert venue (www.livenation.com/venue/white-river-amphitheatre-tickets) on the Muckleshoot Indian Reservation near Auburn, Washington, USA. There are so many other concert locations in this state of Washington that you may wish to visit the Seattle Weekly site for their Calendar of Events (www.seattleweekly.com/events/search/) or Experience Washington tourism site Events page (www.experiencewa.com/experience-washington/events.aspx).  Those are just two of so many places to find your favorite Music, Theater, Sports, and so many other spectacular events.  Ok, one more idea for those who desire to get all dressed up with someplace to go; Teatro ZinZanni (www.teatrozinzanni.com). What is that?  “An ever-evolving and constantly changing production, Teatro ZinZanni combines improv comedy, vaudeville revue, music, dance, cirque and sensuality into a dizzying and colorful new form that is never quite the same from evening to evening. The fast-paced action of the show unfolds above, around and even alongside the audience as they dine on a gourmet meal.”   May I add that it is best served with about 6 good friends and a couple more you wish were…!

·          SeaTac International Airport arrivals and departures … having your driver safely pick up or drop off a friend, relative, or associate from an airport, especially during your valued sleep time or while you are scheduled for a presentation at the office can be fantastic … however, it could also allow you the option of a more personal and heartfelt visit those last few precious minutes.

·          Amtrak arrivals and departures … train stations are becoming a novel way of seeing a bit more of what is between here and there at ground level … Perhaps you can see a bit more of what is around you if you are a passenger rather than the driver, whether going to the station yourself, or accompanying a friend, relative, or associate?

·          Casinos, Hotels and other fine lodging ... it may still primarily be the celebrities going to their rooms after a show, but we are seeing a rise in limo services between shows and hotels.  Actually, a popular limo run here in the east side of KingCounty is the short run between the Salish Lodge & Spa (www.salishlodge.com) at Snoqualmie Falls, and the Snoqualmie Casino (www.snocasino.com) located on the Snoqualmie Indian Reservation.

·          Dropping off a loved one or business associate most anywhere ... wherever a stretch limo may go and for any range of reasons … allowing you to more easily visit with them more directly in route, or at least send them on their way in style.

·          Well, that is all I have time to type at the moment, but more will be added as time allows and people reserve a limo and driver for other surprising event ideas.  ;-)