Wahl's Easter Chocolate

5 boxes stack up for my siblings and me

Every Easter and Christmas for as long as I can remember, I receive a 1 pound box of orange chocolate from my mother, aunt, or grandmother.  I finally asked my grandmother why, year after year, we order this amazingly delicious orange chocolate from Wahl's Candy in Cheektowaga, NY (of all places).

Well here's the story I was looking for in the words of my grandmother: "When we first moved to Buffalo, I was about 7 [1939].  My mother went looking for some good candy, after all, she had worked in a wonderful candy store previously in PA fixing all the window displays.  She was very loved by the owner [of that candy store] and every night he gave her a small white bag with some special treats for my brother and I.  So we were very spoiled and used to the best!"

"After searching Buffalo, we found Wahl's and the tradition started.  We rarely purchased their candy except for Easter and Christmas because it was too expensive and right after the war years when money was still very scarce.  It was only about 2 miles from our home so you can imagine how we wished to go more often."

"I do remember one Easter when I was about ten, we went to the store on Holy Thursday and purchased 4 brown paper bags full, which cost almost 30 dollars (a ton of money at the time).  My mother would take that candy and make the most beautiful Easter bakets you ever saw!  We were the envy of all our friends!  When Pop-pop and I married, we moved to the other side of the city, but would take trips to Wahl's and bring candies to my Mother.  After she passed, your Aunt Lynda would go pick up candy with her boys and sit by Mother's grave, eat the orange chocolate and sponge candy in the grass, and say some prayers."

"End of story- we are still loving it!"

Happy Easter!

This is a photo of my grandmother (center) and her parents circa late 1940s/early 1950s.

Visiting the Corcoran

Although spring began close to nine days ago, the weather has just begun to warm up in DC.  To celebrate the temperature rising of 50 degrees, I drove down to the Corcoran Gallery of Art in NW DC on Friday afternoon.  I was originally drawn to this particular gallery, as there are many in DC, because the Washington Post Weekend section included a blurb about an exhibit, Pump Me Up: DC Subculture of the 1980s, that would be closing the following weekend.

This exhibition, which continues until Sunday April 7th, showcases the vibrant underground culture the blossomed during an era of drug problems and corruption in the District.  The exhibition displays brilliant concert photos (shown below), archival photographs, clothing, instruments and even video loops.

The Corcoran's Rotunda full of neon concert posters produced by Baltimore-based Globe printing press.

After returning back home, I did a bit more research on the exhibit and found this video from Vimeo.  Click on the link to watch.  I highly recommend it!  Curator, Roger Gastman, discusses how individuals have reacted with such pride and emotion after seeing the showcase, particularly those who lived in and around DC in the 1980s.  It truly makes me wonder what things I will remember and associate with my childhood in DC in a matter of 30 years.  If you have time between now and next Sunday, get up and go!  Entrance is 8 dollars for students and 10 for adults.

After viewing the Pump Me Up exhibit and the rest of the museum, I walked outside and ran into the poster shown below, which I thought was pretty interesting.  I don't know much about it, other than it was on a street corner by the Corcoran and seemed like it could have been on one of the walls of the Pump Me Up exhibit.

Pink man on a street-corner electrical box in Northwest DC

And finally, I had to snap a shot of this dejected-looking lion guarding the entrance of the Corcoran.  I have never seen an expression on an animal (not to mention a sculpture) so intriguing or so human.  I wish I could speak with the artist and know what (s)he was thinking when creating this.  You can actually buy the lion as a bookstand here at the museum store, but I don't think the its expression is captured in quite the same manner.

Dejected-lion guarding the entrance of the Corcoran

Easter Fashion

I've always seen Easter Sunday as the weekend when it finally becomes acceptable to pull out those bright sundresses that were stashed for the long, cold winter.  Now as a child, Easter Sunday meant putting on that favorite Lilly dress (even if the temperature never rose above 50 degrees).  Luckily though, the last few Easters I can remember we have had spectacular weather.  In fact, last year I played 18 holes of golf with my father and my best friend after Easter brunch!

At the ripe old age of 19, I have decided to opt for slightly more sophisticated Easter-wear.  This is in part because Easter falls somewhat early this year.  Now I am truly not one to follow the whole "no white before Memorial day rule," yet I feel silly wearing white while its still March [and since we had a snowday Monday].  So with that, here are my picks for Easter 2013.

J Crew Arabelle Dress in Ditsy flower (found here):  This silk chiffon dress comes from the J Crew bridesmaid collection in the wedding section.  Although a bit pricey, the dress fits wonderfully with its A-line cut and fitted bodice with boning.  I've had a similar J Crew dress in a different print for years which I continue to dress up with heels and curled hair or dress down with flats and a loose cotton navy sweater.  It will last you a long time!

J Crew Navy Summer Straw Hat (found here): Less and less people choose to wear Easter hats these days, but they can contribute significantly to the festivity [is that a word?] of an outfit.  Once Easter is over, you can recycle this simple J Crew hat at spring horse races, outdoor graduation ceremonies in early June, and even at the beach to protect yourself from the sun!

Nine West Martina Pumps in Beach Sand Leather (found here): Everyone needs a pair of nude leather or patent leather heels!  The Shanghai nightlife destroyed my shoes (long story) earlier this month, but they are easily and inexpensively replaceable if you live near a DSW or Nine West store.

Jess LC Navy Clutch (clutch and other products found here): I am a big fan of small businesses and try to buy from them when possible.  This store, unfortunately, has recently closed, but a quick "navy clutch" search at etsy.com renders plenty of alternatives.

Jack Rogers Napa Valley Navajo Sandals (found here): I added two pairs of shoes because Easter can often be a long day.  Heels are great at the beginning, but flats are essential so you don't sink into the grass while helping the youngins with their Easter egg hunt.  One of most memorable Easters the cherry blossoms were blooming throughout NW DC so my parents, siblings, and I spent that warm, late-afternoon walking along the Tidal Basin.  I definitely needed flats for that!  These Jack Rogers Navajos are a prep staple, but the cork detailing and gold leather whipstitching takes a
much neededrespectable deviation from the standard pink, green, white, and metallic collections.

Don't Be Fooled

It may look like I haven't made much progress on this whole "blog" thing in the past 24, but don't be fooled.  I spent many hours last night and today researching platforms, themes, host sites, names, and successful female bloggers.  I am here to share the top advice I found out there!

The 33.3% Model

From reading An Opinionated Man [his blog exploded in a matter of three months] I learned of his 33.3% model.  Essentially he discussed how blogging is so much more than just the content that you write and belongs to you.  Rather, he spends 1/3 of his time writing, 1/3 of his time gathering followers, and 1/3 of his time interacting with his followers.  He also added that he hadn't realized how the work load would increase significantly as traffic went up.

Be Consistent

Blogging takes time and significant thought.  It isn't easy coming up with things to say everyday of the week, especially if you don't know if your voice is being heard.  Joanna Goddard [her blog 'A Cup of Jo' receives over 1 million unique visitors a month] points out in her post about blogging as a career that consistency helps your blog grow.  On the one hand it means consistently putting new content out there, but it also means consistently writing about things that fascinate and inspire you.  Which brings me to my last point ...

Blog Like You Mean It

I didn't stumble upon this quite so organically as the last two, but the author, TannerC, offers some intriguing advice.  He essentially said that it's so important to write about those things you are passionate about because it will truly resonate in your writing... but he went on to discuss a time where he was given a topic he was far from interested and how he dealt with the assignment.  Without even owning a TV, he was asked to create a blog on that very topic.  Rather than bore his audience with impersonal content, he made it into something that felt "less like work and more like fun."  By asking the larger questions, which did in fact relate to television, he created an extraordinarily successful blog that discussed television's historical impact on culture.  Now that's something I would enjoy reading more than the latest television star gossip.

Now Help Me Out

What do you wish you knew when you started blogging?  And an even bigger question, why did you start blogging?

Disclaimer

I had a very difficult time coming up with a name for this blog.  I want Urban Prep to be a reflection of who I am and the kinds of things that I like and would confidently recommend to others.  For that reason, I gravitated toward a name that identified with my style, hence the "prep."  That being said, this blog will not fill your reader with pink and green, monograms, lace, and Lilly.

Rather, this blog will be grounded in class and iconic prep styles, while challenging those very norms by creatively incorporating and evolving with modern design and fashion.  I thought "urban" paired with "prep" solidified those goals well.

Introductions

Bear with me while I repeat much of what will be included on my {About Me} page at the top of my blog. I am a 19 year old college sophomore and DC native in the process of transferring from one university in Philadelphia to another back home in DC. I created Urban Prep as an outlet for sharing inspiring and creative fashion, design, art, photography, food, and travel. I hope that someday in the near future Urban Prep will become a hub for busy but creative and curious people who wish to stumble upon new ideas every day without pouring through dozens of blogs on their own time. Finally, I am always open to feedback and would love to hear from you. Thanks for reading.