Chris Recommends:
Managed Expectations by Marisa Meltzer
Managed Expectations is a regular Friday feature on The Awl, and at first I felt awkward about reading it because it lampoons Brooklyn so accurately that it makes me simultaneously love the place where I live and also feel a bit embarrassed for the borough (it hits especially close to home since I moved to Carroll Gardens two months back). But now the main character is in Portland on vacation, and that’s just fine because I have absolutely no qualms about making fun of the west coast.