Bucktown is a living gallery, where murals and street art color nearly every corner. From bold portraits to abstract designs, these pieces tell the neighborhood’s story — creative, gritty, and ever-evolving. Along The 606 Trail and throughout side streets, local artists like Jeff Zimmerman have turned Bucktown’s walls into landmarks of expression and community pride.
Your Keys to the City: Bucktown
We're back with Your Keys to the City: Volume 3 and this is one is a special one!
Our story in Chicago, especially Bucktown, began more than 100 years ago and it's still unfolding today. From our grandparents Jimmy and Leona Cullen building a life here at their "lucky building" on Palmer Street, to our Grandpa Grochowiak running a small grocery store in Avondale, and our parents purchasing the neighboring property to the lucky building, Bucktown has always been
more than a neighborhood. It's our home.
Both our Mom, Gail, who dedicated her career to being a teacher at CPS, and our Dad, Mike, who worked as an immigration lawyer in Chicago, carried on that same spirit of service and community. Through resilience, community, and the simple joys of keeping family close, our history here continues to shape who we are and how we stay rooted—now carried forward by our sibling-led real estate team.
Introducing Bucktown: Quiet Grit Meets Creative Spark
Bucktown sits on Chicago’s northwest side, just north of Wicker Park and nestled between Logan Square and the heart of the city. Its name actually stems from the goats—“bucks”—that Polish settlers raised here in the 19th century. Over time it’s evolved from a working-class enclave to one of Chicago’s most sought-after neighborhoods for creatives, families, and food-lovers alike.
While Bucktown shares much of its culture with adjacent Wicker Park, it maintains a slightly more residential, quieter pace. Here, you’ll find tree-lined streets, restored brick buildings, new-build architecture, converted lofts, and a strong sense of local community.
Bucktown's Culture
Bucktown’s food and drink scene is a delicious mashup of neighborhood gems and bold flavors. You’ll find cozy cafés and cash-only burger joints rubbing shoulders with elevated bistros and fusion spots. Le Bouchon channels Paris in the heart of Chicago, while spots like Mirra fuse Mexican and Indian influences into something unforgettable.
On the drinks side, Bucktown goes big on variety — craft beer bars, speakeasies, and cocktail lounges all thrive here. Stop in at Map Room for an always-rotating beer selection, or seek out hidden cocktail dens where the menu feels like part of the experience.
And no food + drink roundup is complete without Margie’s Candies, an old-school ice cream parlor doing sundae classics, shakes, and nostalgic charm since 1921.
Sawicki-Cullen and Grochowiak Family History
Enjoy a peek inside our family history which spans over a century in the heart of Chicago and the only place we call home.