Bucket List Item Achieved: The Old Absinthe House
Recently, on a trip to New Orleans, I popped up the map on my phone and found directions to The Old Absinthe House. This was also a bucket list item for me so I was excited. I finally made it! After a few minutes of looking over the absinthe menu, I ordered the Mata Hari. The bartender presented it as a show to compensate for the $18 cost, or so I assume. First she poured a shot or so into a rocks glass. Then she put the absinthe spoon across the top, placed a sugar cube on the spoon, and then put a straw in the absinthe to get a little bit and she dribbled it on the sugar cube…then lit it on fire to caramelize the sugar a little bit. I can’t say that it added any flavor to the drink, but it looked so cool to see your drink on fire before she added the water to the absinthe. I started sipping and I was so happy. The next time I am there, I will have to get video of the preparation of a glass. The bar has business cards pinned and stapled to the wall and has a dirty, open-air feel to it with some loud music that’s non offensive and everyone seemed to like. I will be back!
Thank you for reading this piece from Michael Beebe. For more about Michael, please visit TheMichaelBeebe.com or VagabondingAmerica.com.
Picture a young Michael Beebe, fresh out of La Porte High School in ’93, diving headfirst into the world of hospitality with a busboy gig at the old La Porte Holiday Inn. That hustle led him to an Associate of Science from Purdue-North Central in ’95 and a Bachelor’s in Hospitality Management from Purdue-Calumet in ’97 (those schools are now merged into Purdue-Northwest, by the way). Michael’s early career was a whirlwind—running a 140-room hotel in Indianapolis, where he learned the ins and outs of the industry but realized it wasn’t his true calling. What did spark his passion? Teaching. He found himself thriving in front of students at Ivy Tech Community College and Lake Michigan College, sharing the art and science of hospitality management. Oh, and he also moonlighted at WIMS radio in Michigan City, juggling both on-air and behind-the-scenes roles with his signature high energy.
Politics? That’s been Michael’s sidekick since he was 18, registering to vote with a fire in his belly to make a difference. He threw his hat in the ring for La Porte County Council in 2010, where he got a crash course in the power of social media marketing. Undeterred by not winning, he campaigned for Indiana’s General Assembly in 2012 and took another shot at the County Council in 2014 and 2016. Though he hasn’t clinched a seat yet, Michael’s relentless drive to serve shines through. Lately, he’s been pouring that energy into helping other candidates who champion personal liberty, amplifying their voices with his knack for strategy.
Here’s a twist: Michael once co-owned a tattoo shop, despite having no ink himself. As the business manager and marketing guru, he leaned hard into low-cost, social media-driven campaigns to put the shop on the map. That experience fueled his love for digital marketing, and now he spends his free time crafting websites and boosting businesses online—a true labor of love.
These days, Michael’s living the dream as an independent contracted transporter, crisscrossing the country while getting paid to soak up new places and cultures. When he’s not exploring, he’s parked somewhere scenic, laptop open, building his digital consulting company, Spark Plug Strategies, or penning his thoughts. He even wrote a few books.
Based in La Porte County, Indiana, Michael’s embraced a “decentralized laptop lifestyle,” blending work, travel, and passion projects into a life that’s as dynamic as he is.