Photo – Happi Devil

Snow Day

January 21, 2026 Happi Devil Comments 0 Comment

On February 14th, 1895, the city of New Orleans experienced a record snow fall of 8 inches. That record held until January 21th, 2025 when a storm covered the city with 8-10 inches of snow.

It was pretty wild to actually experience such a unique moment. The entire city was quieted as it was slowly blanketed. Most homes are not really built for cold environments, and there were definitely concerns about whether an electrical grid that seems to be held together by duct tape and prayers would hold as everyone cranked up the heat.

When the clouds eventually parted, and the brightness of the blue skies bounced off the snow on the neutral ground, it felt like we had been transported overnight. The city was beautiful in a way that is not often seen.

And after a week, it was all gone. Which was fine with me, because all of our coats and jackets were not really designed for that kind of cold.

Until Further Notice…

May 6, 2020 Happi Devil Comments 0 Comment

We have been on lock down for seven weeks… or forty nine days… or one thousand one hundred and seventy six hours…

For weeks now, much of the French Quarter has been boarded up and empty. We had heard that several street artists have taken to decorating the boarded up windows, so to mark the anniversary of our seventh week of isolation, we decided to sneak a peek.

We arrived with the face masks that a local artist and friend made for us in hand, ready to have a “socially distant” experience… though we found the streets basically deserted.

It was quite eerie to find Bourbon Street so desolate and quiet. A few people rode their bikes through, but it was missing the usual sound of a bustling crowd. No street performers busking, no barkers barking up the wrong tree as they try to get us to go into a strip club. No clatter of dishes being served at any restaurants. Just the occasional chirp of a bird hanging out above a window.

We didn’t find too much by way of street art here. I have to say most of the good stuff was down on Decatur and on Frenchman Street. In my short time here, I definitely feel a resilience within the residents. The people of New Orleans have been through it before… and they’ll keep on keepin’ on with a wry perspective…