Philadelphia Blogger Collects 'Love Notes' For The City
By Chelsea Karnash
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – It's almost Valentine's Day, and if you could write a love note to your favorite part of Philadelphia, what would you say?
That's exactly what Philadelphia blogger Emma Fried-Cassorla asks guests to do on her blog, Philly Love Notes.
"I love coming home to you. A house is not a home," user Rachel Isenberg writes of her favorite spot, Judson Street between Aspen and Brown. "A home is a community of smiling, laughing neighbors, excited kids, friends, and shining lights. A fairy tale like block filled with Saturday morning breakfast, extra sets of keys for the locked out moments, hugs and hi fives."
In addition to a written post, Emma and her contributors take photos of that favorite spot. Some contributors, like Mike Jackson, even send original artwork.
"Dear Phillie Phanatic,
You serve as constant reinforcement in the power of positivity – an honest reminder that every day is a chance to enjoy the hell out of life. The way you announce yourself to a stadium of people with the same enthusiasm that my two year-old niece expresses how high she got on the swing? I can't get enough of it," Jackson writes alongside several drawings of the Phillies' mascot.
While Philly Love Notes speaks to the wonderful things about the City of Brotherly Love, Emma says the idea didn't come out of an entirely positive place.
"Philly Love Notes came during a transitional period in my life when I was questioning my job, where I was living, how I was living, etc. I realized that I needed to know more about the city and make new friends, so I decided to ask people to tell me what they loved about the city, and to meet me in the place they had chosen," she remembers.
But the blog has become something more than just a temporary fix – Philly Love Notes has about 3,500 followers on Instagram, 5,000 on Twitter and "a couple thousand" on Facebook.
"I don't track analytics on purpose. The purpose of the blog has always been to promote positivity and to become a more engaged Philadelphian. I'd rather not be too concerned with web traffic," Emma says.
"I was able to make new friends, job connections, meet great Philly residents, and see tons of places that I never knew existed," she continues, noting that that's what is important to her.
And when it comes to her favorite Philly Love Notes, Emma says she prefers "the ones that take me on adventures -- riding the bus around the city, getting lost in Fairmount Park, eating new foods at new restaurants -- and the ones that are sentimental. A couple have left me teary and those are my favorite."
She doesn't see an end for Philly Love Notes anytime soon, either.
"The blog has expanded into map-making as a way to raise money and social media campaigns. I organize the annual #whyilovephilly party, which took place last year at Spruce Street Harbor Park before it opened. I also run the #whyilovephilly Twitter campaign on Valentine's Day as a way to mobilize the social media audience to participate in a positive discussion about the city on a day that focuses on love," Emma says. "As for the blog itself, I'm going to be doing a redesign of the site and the map feature so that it becomes more of a resource. I'll probably continue it until it no longer does what it's intended to do."
And if she had to write her own love note to a part of the city, what part would she choose?
"The Delaware River Waterfront, but I'm biased because I work there," she laughs.
You can follow Philly Love Notes on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.