When I first moved to New Orleans, I stayed at a guesthouse on Prytania my first month there. The girl at the front desk and I became friends. We were both around the same age, we'd both read the same books, we both had a real appreciation for clubs and drink. She was the reason I drove that car that one time and she also is the reason why I came to appreciate a glass of bubbly in proper style.

We were young and broke pretty much all the time. She worked at a guesthouse. I had just moved from New York, and though I got a job rather quickly, it took some to time to build up money.

Many a night, instead of going out, we would go to the Circle K on St. Charles Avenue and buy the $2.99 bottle of Andre champagne. Just the worst stuff. A headache in a bottle. But it was good...

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