Chicago’s Devon Avenue

Across the Street and Around the World

by Andrea Mata and Tuka Farhan

We had the opportunity to visit Devon Ave., a vibrant and culturally diverse east-west street on Chicago’s North Side. With its strong cultural and religious identities, it was unlike any other area we visited in Chicago. It has a pluralistic identity, housing five religions from South Asia and people from many countries, while also operating as a long-standing commercial hub for the surrounding community. The variety of cultures and backgrounds put many of us outside our comfort zones.

We met our tour guide, Ranjana, at Sukhadia’s Sweets, a shop filled with unfamiliar flavors and snacks. Inside, we received curious looks that made us feel out of place. We tried a mango lassi — a sweet, creamy yogurt-based mango drink — along with a variety of snacks with different textures and flavors. Beyond food, we experienced other aspects of the culture as well: with Ranjana’s help, students were able to try on traditional Indian garments, including the saree and anarkali. We also learned about Indian weddings, which can cost $70,000 or more.

As we walked down the street, Ranjana told us about Devon Ave.’s growth from a single South Asian grocery store into a bustling corridor bringing the cultures of the subcontinent to Chicago — including religious institutions. We visited Shree Ganesh Temple, a Hindu temple where the priest welcomed us warmly, though the experience was unlike anything in our own religious backgrounds. Other visitors gave us looks that made us feel we didn’t quite belong. That discomfort became meaningful: it invited us to reflect on how immigrants and newcomers might feel entering spaces very different from their own, and the long, difficult work of finding a sense of belonging.

Every place we visited gave us some version of that feeling — of being somewhere we didn’t quite fit. The unfamiliar looks, spaces, and foods offered a window into something larger. Stepping outside our comfort zones is one of the most effective ways to understand what others have experienced, and to see more clearly where we place ourselves in the world.