[sonorous_sub]

I like the short form stuff DFW wrote for Harper's Magazine. The one about his trip to the state fair with an old flame is sublime.

[maroonblazer]

Also, his documenting his 7-day Caribbean cruise, aptly titled (IMO) "A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again"

[senkora]

Agreed. His short stuff is excellent. I'll also call out his commencement speech on the meaning of a liberal arts education, "This is Water".

https://fs.blog/david-foster-wallace-this-is-water/

[jihadjihad]

Ticket To The Fair (1993) [0] -- a superb read, indeed.

0: https://harpers.org/wp-content/uploads/HarpersMagazine-1994-...

[ofcourseyoudo]

Also the one about a cruise trip, Michael Joyce, and Lost Highway... essentially everything from "A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again"

[ravi_m]

Infinite Jest seems excessively long and I haven't worked up the motivation to read it yet, but his short stories / essays in Consider the Lobster are excellent, including the titular story which is about a lobster festival in Maine. And looking at the comments in this thread, seems like he had some kind of fascination for fairs and other touristy things.