Aileen Cruz | I’m a writer with a journalism and marketing background. I grew up in the Detroit suburbs where I spent a lot of time following around my older brother, reading Stephen King novels, and watching movies in nearby theaters. I attended the University of Michigan where my fascination with words and pictures led me to pursue communication and English and then, eventually, to an advertising job in Chicago.
Working at a creative agency in client service taught me about branding, how to develop scripts, and how to make commercials. It also made me want to write more, so I went back to school at Medill and focused on journalism. I became a freelance journalist, contributing to Chicago Tribune’s dining and entertainment website, Metromix, and stringing for local papers.
A few years ago, I moved to Evanston with my husband and two girls and continued my attraction to storytelling in its many forms. Along with words, I love seeking the visual aspects of a piece so I can tell the best story. This blog is a space for these things through personal essays, profiles, and posts on family and city life.
Copyright Courtesy | All original writing/photography is copyrighted and owned by me, unless noted. If you’d like to share, please include a link to the original post or credit Aileen Cruz.
Contact | leeniespace(at)gmail(dot)com
leeniespace 
Cool blog, Aileen… Love it! :) dina
Hi, Dina,
Thank you for reading it. :)
Love this blog. And I’m not a blog person. So there. You rock.
Hi, Sean,
That’s so nice, thank you. :)
Hi, Cecilia,
Thank you for stopping by. And, yes, so much good food in this town, I have trouble picking. I’ve just discovered thekitchensgarden and am so happy to have found it. Going there now to leave you a note.
Good morning Aileen. Thank you so much for your visit to my wee blog. Your pages look gorgeous. Most of all I am so happy to find someone writing about the dining scene is Chicago.. I never know where to go when i visit the Big City!.. c
Aileen-
What a great thing! I actually had some time to sit alone and read this evening. Your writings are lovely and make me miss Chicago more than ever. ❤️
Thank you for reading and for this note. Chicago misses you too! ;)
Love this! Love you!!