Drunk, Unqualified, But Weirdly Persuasive: A Midnight History Lesson in New Orleans

It was midnight in Jackson Square.

I was with my friend Becky and slightly inebriated. Not irresponsibly so—but enough to feel confident in a way that suggested I should probably not be given a microphone.

Somewhere between the glow of the streetlights and the quiet hum of the city, I found myself standing in front of the statue of Andrew Jackson, delivering a fully unplanned, slightly unhinged, and deeply passionate retelling of the Battle of New Orleans.

To no one in particular. And also, somehow, to everyone.

I explained—loudly—that the war was technically already over.

That the British didn’t know.

That Jackson absolutely did not wait for permission to march from Tennessee—he just… went.

That the American forces were a chaotic mix of militia, freedmen, pirates (yes, pirates—thank you Jean Lafitte), and whoever else happened to show up with a weapon and a strong opinion.

I gestured aggressively. I emphasized unnecessarily. I was, in every sense of the word, committed.

And at some point—this is the part I remember most clearly—I stopped explaining facts and started making a case: This wasn’t just a battle. This place—New Orleans—feels the way it does because of moments like the Battle of New Orleans.

Moments that shouldn’t have worked, but did.

I curtsied at the end.

I don’t want to brag, but I did receive a light, confused smattering of applause.

The kind that says, “I’m not sure what just happened, but I respect the effort.”

Was it historically perfect? No.

Could a real tour guide have done it better? Obviously.

But that’s not really the point. Because most people don’t remember facts when they travel - they remember moments.

Moments where a place stops being abstract and becomes real. Moments where history stops being information and starts feeling alive.

That’s the difference between seeing a place and actually experiencing it.

If you want to experience that shift on purpose (with fewer public monologues), I’m working on a DIY guide to the Battle of New Orleans.

And if you want to try a smaller version of this idea anywhere, start with the free Coffee mini field trip.

It turns out you don’t need a historic battlefield to change how you see something.

Just a little more intention.