A Personal Tour. At Every Turn.
On shaping your experience
Whenever you're on a tour, whether a plain tour like those given by a group site-seeing bus, or a personal tour like that given to you on-foot by your best friend of his home-town by going door-to-door, the method of transport becomes a far second in shaping your experience to the company you keep and entrust with your well-being.
What fleet and pride don't have in common?
Even more distant than the method of transport, such as on-foot, or by automobile, boat, or aircraft, is the brand and model of the transport vehicle you choose. Many coach and limousine companies pride themselves in their brilliant acquisition of the latest model of the most expensive brands that your ears ever heard. I don't.
I pride myself in knowing you, my most valued guest, or at least in taking the time to know you, in understanding why of all other choices you have picked me, in respecting your wishes, in meeting your expectations, and most importantly, I pride myself in serving you.
I also pride myself in the mastery of my domain, and that is most apparent in my transparent experience in the careful, yet tasteful matching of your individual preferences to your particular tour. I pride myself in the intimate knowledge of the particular tour sites that I have hand picked for you, be they grounds for history, displays of political power, shrines for romance, public events, social gatherings, or simply fun trivia.
I pride myself in seeing beforehand the magic of the seasons as it unfolds on yet-to-be your favorite scene. I pride myself in sensing the flow of the wind as a leisurely leaf passes our windshield, the shadow of the sun as we pass buildings and trees, and the warmth of the moment as a squirrel dangles its tail off a tree branch, decadently resting, basking the last of the sun, all so you may enjoy a short stroll along the river before supper.
What you're sacrificing by choosing me?
There are numerous methods of transportation to tour a particular site, however none of them comes close to offering the convenience and comfort of a luxurius living room on wheels.
However, with comfort comes sacrifice. And I make it my personal duty to unearth what you have sacrificed by choosing me as your personal driver and companion as opposed to choosing other methods given different circumstances.
Have you had more time, you might have preferred an all-day on-foot tour of the city's landmarks as opposed to glancing at them through the self-reflecting glass.
If so, and considering the fact that you're a federal judge on your second D.C. tour since boyhood, it might all the difference to you whether you have seen the Jefferson Memorial or not to know that Jefferson's lifetime achievements of establishing the cornerstones of our legal system are summarized in a single engraved sentence crowning the dome of his memorial and it reads:
"I have sworn upon the altar of God eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man."
I would tell you of this oath, taken by Jefferson in a private letter in 1800, from the luxury of the warm leather seats of a stretch limousine while glancing at the stone figure of the man as it appears and disappears behind the pillars as if his life stages are passing by right before your eyes. The only other tour (besides virtual) to learn this fact is to walk in there; alas, most visitors are instantly taken by the commanding presence of Jefferson's figure or the magnificent location of his memorial that they look straight at the stone in the middle, look back at the ever-silent basin through the entrance, and then glaze at the city from that angle. A few read all of the writing on the four opposing walls, and most miss the writing above, let alone know that it is the summary of his lifetime achievements. However, if you were to tilt your neck way backward, open up your eyes, and turn a full circle, you would be able to read this oath from beginning to end; otherwise, you would have no earthly idea. As for the amazing story of building the memorial, that's not to be found anywhere on the walls.
Jefferson's oath can be inspiring when one is reflecting upon his own life achievements. It is my honor to serve you, and it would not only make my day, but it would invite pride and excitement into my life to be the one to bring this little fact to your attention.
Of course, if you were not a federal judge but a couple on a romantic tour, that little fact would not surface, let alone getting close to the Jefferson figure or me even mentionning anything at all.
Have you ...
Have you had more energy and a choice of an athletic companion, you might have preferred a bike tour.
Have you been visiting at the advent of the holiday season, you might have picked a horse-drawn sleigh for a ride.
Have you visited on Memorial Day, you might have well been on the backseat of a Harley-Davidson Sportster celebrating the spirits of those who have long gone.
Have you been visiting the country side in summer, your vehicle of choice might have been a tractor, and make it an 1985 Russell steam tractor. It would have not been a comfortable ride, as you would have been standing all-time behind a steam boiler, however you would have had an appreciation for the hard work of an engineering era that pulled a ten-ton monkey through a bumpy terrain. An hour after feeling every bump through your heels and knees, you will start developping a sense of appreciation for the canopy roof above, which, despite keeping the boiler's heat in, protected you from the burning sun. A tour like that could give you an appreciation of luxury that no limousine ride could ever give you; however, if your objective is to go back to an era two generations behind, there are on-road sites that we could drive to (by limousine) and that would bring that era back to life.
Have you planned your city stops, you might have decided to take your tour using the subway.
Have you been insensitive to fluctuations, your vehicle of choice could have been a three-story boat.
Have you had the means or a pilot's inclinations, you would have most probably preferred an eagle's eye-view of all the sites on your very own personal jet.
No matter which method of transportation you would have favored for your tour under different circumstances, having picked a stretch limousine you have sacrificed some of your interests in favor of your comfort. In extending my promise for a most personal tour, I am committed to understanding your interests, and will take every opportunity to make your tour most memorable, positively that is, according to your wish, and beyond all expectations.
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