Tuesday, December 5, 2006

Chicago, Gino and White Stretch Limos

I had the most bizarre experience in Chicago last Friday night.

My plan was to rent a car and drive up from Midway to my friends' house in Glenview. Well, with the bad weather in Chicago on Friday, I changed my plan to have a car service pick me up and take me out there. So, I looked some up via the Midway web site and found one with a lovely page offering all kinds of car service. So, I called.

I asked for a Lincoln Towncar to pick me up at 7:15 at Midway, gave him my flight information and cell number. All set. The man on the phone even said, "We'll watch the flight schedule so we know if you're late." (Which I was...)

So, I get to Chicago and go out to the "limo stand" and look around to see who's waiting for who. I call the 800 number and someone answers and says, "Yes, you're going to Glenview. We have a white stretch limo, license 8292, coming to you pick up. The driver's name is Gino. Give him 5-7 minutes to pull around."

When does ordering this...

towncar

Get you this...

white limo

Thoughts in my head: Wait, a white stretch limo. Oh, dear, what have I gotten myself into. Please let that be code for black Lincoln Towncar.

Five to seven minutes later, a white stretch limo comes around the corner, IL license plate 8292. I wave Gino down. He pulls over, gets out and takes my one little rolling duffle bag, puts it in the trunk and I climb in. And I start laughing to myself because the whole thing just looks so ridiculous.

Gino was very pleasant as we were hollering directions the distance of the limo. And the lovely fiber optic lights throughout were very, um, pretty. I actually felt like I was back on a Carnival cruise ship.

I'd never been in a stretch limo before and was pretty OK with that record, but now, I have a blog about it. And for the record, when you see a white stretch limo zipping along the interstate, don't get all jealous and think, "They have the life." It's probably some average joe who just ordered a car service, asked for a smaller Towncar and ended up in a stretch limo.