Meena Thiruvengadam

"I wonder what it would be like to live in most of the places I visit," says Chicago-based writer Meena Thiruvengadam. Here are my top four.

Just because you can’t get a reservation doesn’t mean you can’t have an unforgettable meal. Chicago is a city for people who love great food. It’s home to 26 Michelin-starred restaurants, 40 James Beard Award–winning restaurants, and 54 Bib Gourmand…

A local's guide on where to discover global gastronomy in Chicago. Chicago is a city of immigrants, and there may be no better way to experience its diversity of cultures than by eating your way through the neighborhoods. Have dim sum in Chinatown or…

Onboard Obsession is a new series that explores the can't-miss highlights of the best-loved cruises—from the shore excursions to book to the spa treatments too relaxing to pass up. Eighteen decks above the cold Atlantic Ocean, I pulled on a balaclava…

There’s nothing quite like hopping on one of the many cruises from New York City, leaving the Statue of Liberty and iconic skyline behind for an adventure you’ll never forget after wandering some of the most famous streets in the world. Plus, New…

When I was 12 or 13, a friend’s mother invited me to join their family for a Thanksgiving road trip. After I convinced my parents to let me go, we piled into the family minivan and hit the road. We stayed at a Howard Johnson, shelled pecans and ate…

From filming locations to a particularly nostalgic hotel stay, get lost in your favorite movie. If you’re one of the many people who grew up celebrating Christmas with the McCallisters, there may be no better bucket list holiday destination than…

Tourists and business travellers have returned to Chicago, but the city needs to regain the confidence of corporates. On a calm summer evening, runners follow their usual route in River North, a trendy area just outside Chicago’s downtown business…

Onboard Obsession is a new series that explores the can't-miss highlights of the best-loved cruises—from the shore excursions to book to the spa treatments too relaxing to pass up. It wasn’t until our boat pulled up to the yellow submarine bobbing up…

We're dedicating our April features to all things solo travel. Whether it’s a soul-searching hike, a decompressing beach trip, or an invigorating urban getaway, tackling the world as a solo traveler has become safer, easier, and more empowering. Dive…

I may have a laptop and a job I can do remotely, but that doesn’t mean I can work from anywhere. I learned the hard way trying to connect to Zoom from Montezuma, a tiny bohemian beach town on the southern edge of the idyllic Nicoya Peninsula in Costa…

When they first met, he had generic prints on the walls of his bachelor pad. She didn't like it. Shireen and Afzal Ahmad eventually replaced those generic prints with beautiful paintings they found on trips home to Pakistan, where they began to…

You could spend hundreds of euros visiting Paris’ top museums, or you could do this instead. From the Louvre to the Musée d’Orsay, Paris is a cultural capital with a slew of museums every traveler should visit. From visiting the Mona Lisa to basking…

I once landed on a former work wife’s doorstep in Nashville for a weeklong stay only to realize when I got there that we’d met in person exactly once. It was awkward for about a minute, but a single hug later we were picking up in real life where…

Here are eight reasons to add Jaipur to your India itinerary. Jaipur is a city of ancient forts and royal palaces, a place where visitors will find sweeping views of lush green hills and some of the finest hotels in the world. Nicknamed the Pink…

Eager to step outside of Chicago and experience more creativity in rural Illinois? Join travel writer Meena Thiruvengadam for a road trip across Southern Illinois, filled with natural landscapes, quirky roadside attractions, historic monuments, and a…

The past few years have been a great time to be an investor, with huge rallies in everything from stocks to cryptocurrencies to real estate. But with the Federal Reserve getting ready to hike interest rates to fight inflation, owners of some of these…

Booking multiple trips as a response to pandemic-era travel. You know travel is messy when the U.S. Department of State suggests coming up with a solid backup plan. But that's exactly how some people are approaching pandemic travel, with a plan B, C,…

JetBlue's TrueBlue frequent flier program is about to get better for its most loyal members. Beginning Jan. 5, JetBlue is introducing a new elite tier, Mosaic+, which will give travelers the gift they've been asking for: free upgrades to Mint, the…

The Metropolitan Opera in New York has become the first major performing arts organization in the U.S. to require COVID-19 booster shots from all performers, employees, and audience members. The mandate is set to go into effect Jan. 17 and requires…