Michelle Kicherer

1 week ago | wweek.com | Michelle Kicherer

Stepping onto a Portland Spirit riverboat feels like you’re about to go on a voyage into the sweet unknown. There’s a palpable excitement in the air during boarding. Whether it’s a charming dinner cruise, a happy hour cruise or going out on one of the zippy little Explorer Jetboat trips, any seat is a good seat. A popular choice (and a cute date, platonic or romantic) is one of the brunch, lunch, or dinner cruises, where you can enjoy a piano serenade to accompany your meal.

2 weeks ago | sfchronicle.com | Michelle Kicherer

Shoshana von Blanckensee is the author of “Girls Girls Girls.”Author photo by Chloe ShermanIt’s the summer of 1996, and Hannah and her girlfriend Sam are following their post-high school plans to drive from Long Beach, N.Y., to San Francisco, a place where you could hold hands with your girlfriend in public. Growing up in Long Beach with a strict and stressed Orthodox Jewish mother, Hannah has to keep her identity a painful secret.

1 month ago | wweek.com | Michelle Kicherer

Selecting the perfect wine for a meal doesn’t have to be as scary as we think it is. To get some guidance, I headed to Grand Amari and spoke with general manager Catherine Stratton Wenger, a Vinitaly International Academy Italian wine ambassador who manages the wine list for Grand Amari and Alpenrausch. Executive chef Mike Stone set me up with dishes almost too beautiful to eat while Catherine walked me through how to select the right wine for any meal. 1. Drink what you like.

1 month ago | wweek.com | Michelle Kicherer

When Enka first meets Mathilde as a fellow student at the fictional Berkshire College of Art and Design, she is all at once platonically in love and self-conscious. Soon it is clear that Mathilde is a prodigy. After a tremendously affecting freshman year exhibit, Mathilde’s art career is launched fast and far. Her performance art is featured at some of the biggest galleries in New York and, soon, the world.

1 month ago | wweek.com | Michelle Kicherer

6–10: Cruise ControlSounds like: Driving through a field of sunflowers. First time I saw Cruise Control was a couple of years back at the Laurelthirst Pub. I was there to check out a folk rock band called Smile Pile but wound up falling in love with both. Cruise Control is a delightful blend of country and pop, of rock and shoegaze—and a real kick in the teeth. Each band member is an entertaining performer, the group’s chemistry is charming, and their lyrics? Refreshing.