Little Italy San Jose

2/10/2009 Chris "Are you gay? Does your mom know youre gay?" C. says:

Where exactly do they would this be in downtown? not much space unless something gets knocked down. Little Portugal is like 2 shops, Japan Town, is maybe 3-4, so if this was to go in I really wouldnt expect much lol.

2/10/2009 Leo L. says:

that'd be cool, but as Chris points out, I wouldn't expect much. it'd be cool if it was a couple of blocks long....not just a strip

2/10/2009 Joshua "Joshua" D. says:

This Italian Business district was the location of the First "Little Italy" Neighborhood in San Jose in the early 1900's. We will connect the HP Pavillion to San Pedro Square and the future location of the San Jose Public Market.  We will bring a new Italian Cultural Center and lots of exciting Italian Businesses such as restaurants, Deli's, Bakeries etc.  Little Portugal and JapanTown are great areas on the own and I encourage you to check them out.  But we hope to bring our cultural neighborhood to the heart of Downtown San Jose.

2/10/2009 Beth W. says:

This sounds great Joshua!  My second "mom" is Italian and I would love to bring her to a Little Italy in San Jose!

2/10/2009 Anthony "2 degrees from kevin Bacon... mmmm.. bacon." B. says:

The Northside used to be the Major italian community in San Jose. My great Grandparents had a dairy farm where the Berryessa flea market now stands in the late 1800s to the mid 1900s. They had a house directly across from the Salvation Army, next to the Italian heritage foundation,  on 4th and Washington. Gurus liquor store was the first grocery store in San Jose, Jeoy Francos PW,  and it was Italian owned, the second was an italian market a block away where Empire Market now is. Backesto Park, the whole "Luna Park" district, was originally an italian neighborhood. My Grandfather was part of a group called the China Town gang when he was a kid  and that later became the Northside Social club.
  Now it seems that all ogf the Italian heritage of San Jose has dissapeared, so some effort to bring it back would be nice.

2/10/2009 Brandon "Support your local business owner" M. says:

I think they should have large pictures of what it was in the 1900 in front of store windows, like you say Anthony, history is always good.

2/10/2009 Beth W. says:

I agree with Anthony and Brandon's comments...I'm pretty sure the City of San Jose have black and white or even sepia tone photos from back in the day.

2/10/2009 Rob "No I am not oriental!  I am Asian" P. says:

YOu should start by getting that great Italian deli in Willow Glen to open up a location downtown.

2/10/2009 Beth W. says:

Would there be bocce ball courts in the new Little Italy district?  Last Saturday's San Jose Mercury News (Feb. 7, 2009) had a great article on the history of bocce ball courts in the Italian neighborhoods in San Jose.  There were approx. 80 bocce ball courts in San Jose in the 1940s but they disappeared when real estate took off.

2/10/2009 Shu Han "all-you-can-eat-fried-chick'n -n-biskeets" C. says:

Rob "Shop till you drop" P. says:

YOu should start by getting that great Italian deli in Willow Glen to open up a location downtown.

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What's the name of that great Italian deli?  Hungry minds want to know.

2/10/2009 Joshua "Joshua" D. says:

There were many "Little Italy" Neighborhoods in San Jose at one time.  The three main Italian Ghetto's were the River Street area, the 13th Street Neighborhood and Goosetown.  We have decided on River Street because of it's downtown Location.  We will also have an Italian Historical Museum for Italian Americans and we would love to have many of these memories of Italian Culture displayed in our museum. And ofcourse Bocce will be part of this Italian Neighborhood.

2/10/2009 Beth W. says:

Rob and Shu ~ that Italian deli is called "La Villa"  http://www.yelp.com/bi... and the folks running it now bought the business and the recipes from the original owners....I used to go there twenty years ago when we used to live in Willow Glen...

2/10/2009 Nathan C. says:

Wow! That would be sweet! I've always wanted a little Italy in SJ. Hope this project becomes something awesome!

2/11/2009 Rav "Gobble Gobble" V. says:

oh no..I smell another "Little Saigon"/"New Saigon"/"Vietnamese Business District" nightmare

2/11/2009 Leo L. says:

Wow, that is pretty ambitious stuff there Joshua. It sounds amazing. Heck, I'm not even Italian, but I'd be all in for it on that large of a scale!

I agree with Brandon, if you could find pics and all that stuff, that'd be really great to see up.

Bocce ball courts would be cool too. And I'd love seeing banners or flags up along the street posts....I'm getting all giddy and hungry already. haha.

Good luck with the project.

Ps.  You gotta have murals too. ;)

2/11/2009 Ed "they talk of my drinking but never my thirst." H. says:

Call me single minded, but so long as there is a place that sells fresh mozzarella... I'm all good.

2/11/2009 Anna "you remind me of my gucci shoes" S. says:

i like reading about all  the history. guru's liquor store was the first grocery store? ha ha ha.

2/11/2009 Robert "hebrew rocker" H. says:

Is this a California (besides SF and LA) thing? Forcing pseudo ethnic areas into cities? I'm pretty sure most 'chinatowns' and other variations come from FOB's who stick to their own. Learn from real cities like NY or SF.

2/11/2009 Dan "FUC Rebpulicans!" M. says:

I LIKE IT!!!

Make it happen cap'n!!!

2/11/2009 Ed "they talk of my drinking but never my thirst." H. says:

Robert "No cummupance for me!" H. says:

Is this a California (besides SF and LA) thing? Forcing pseudo ethnic areas into cities? I'm pretty sure most 'chinatowns' and other variations come from FOB's who stick to their own. Learn from real cities like NY or SF.

=======================

The irony is that Little Saigon and K-town proposals got bitch slapped.  Again, I don't care, so long as there is fresh mozzarella.

2/11/2009 Robert "hebrew rocker" H. says:

I'm just saying, areas tend to find their identity after a few generations. Otherwise it comes off as pretentious as Santana Row.

2/11/2009 Anna "you remind me of my gucci shoes" S. says:

Robert "No cummupance for me!" H. says:

Is this a California (besides SF and LA) thing? Forcing pseudo ethnic areas into cities? I'm pretty sure most 'chinatowns' and other variations come from FOB's who stick to their own. Learn from real cities like NY or SF.
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CA is definitely not as noticeably segregated like most of the older parts of the country are. i think there used to be a lot of ethnic neighborhoods that have now integrated, unlike say, chicago, or where my sis lives in brooklyn, which is like 5 min from manhattan yet still has a ton of polish people who don't speak english. i know a lot of former ethnic neighborhoods were razed, like philipino areas in stockton or some similar town. and now people are realizing that those hoods were historic, so they want to try to bring some of that back. kind of ironic that they are fighting against the modern view that ethnicity should not matter at all, thus the fights against naming areas little korea or vietnam.

2/11/2009 Anna "you remind me of my gucci shoes" S. says:

Robert "No cummupance for me!" H. says:

I'm just saying, areas tend to find their identity after a few generations. Otherwise it comes off as pretentious as Santana Row.
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also, things change so quickly. my mom grew up in east san jose when most everyone was portugese. within a generation it was primarily mexican, now it is getting dominated by vietnamese folks.

2/11/2009 Robert "hebrew rocker" H. says:

Hey I grew up in NYC. 'Chinatown' and 'Little Italy' are now overrun by Africans. Little Italy is not just one street, that expands on San Genero Festival. It's bizarre.
But you can't just stamp a name on an area and then just wait for the culture to follow the curve. This isn't Field of Dreams

2/11/2009 Rob "No I am not oriental!  I am Asian" P. says:

I think it is a great idea, but I suggest you be inclusive of the other ethnic communities in S.J. before you get to far in your planning process.  If not I would predict you could have another Fallon Statute controversy.  If you recall that went on for years and could have been prevented if the lines of communication had been open and hashed out.  I am not suggesting that you make it multi-ethnic, but at least listen to the ideas and concerns of other ethnic communities before you get the project solidified.  People don't like to have their contribution to history rolled over....and forgotten.  Good Luck!

2/11/2009 Anna "you remind me of my gucci shoes" S. says:

"if we build it, they will come". that was the rallying cry when they were trying to move the Giants to san jose in the early 90s. they probably stole the line from "field of dreams". but i don't watch kevin whatshisname movies on principle. or sports movies.

2/11/2009 Robert "hebrew rocker" H. says:

It's ok Anna. I still heart you. Even though you're missing out on the best movie ever made. The Natural.

2/11/2009 Ed "they talk of my drinking but never my thirst." H. says:

Robert "No cummupance for me!" H. says:

I'm just saying, areas tend to find their identity after a few generations. Otherwise it comes off as pretentious as Santana Row.

=============

I hear ya, though I think it's a presumed pretentiousness.  My point is that, here, Santa Clara County, everyone gets up in arms about ethnic districting.  When I was following the effort to call a strip of El Camino Real, Koreatown, and read the comments posted on the Mercury News, you'd be amazed at the bias.

Not to mention overt politcal correctness and bickering over the "Saigon Business District".

Well, it's funny.  I get your insight, but at the same time if the Vietnamese, Koreans and Mexicans have yet to establish something... just fucking saying...

Still, and I remain adamant about this... I just want a place that sells fresh mozzarella.

2/11/2009 sergio o. says:

Are you kidding me? This would be the best thing for San Jose!! Has anyone been to San Diego's Little Italy? Or How about NYC? They are fantastic boroughs and it would bring a lot more revenue to a downtown that only survives SJ Shark games! Face it guy's, if San Jose didn't have the Shark Tank, there would be nothing downtown. You could put on the list with Modest or Stockton as a miserable place to visit!!!

2/11/2009 Yalda "Y-Dizzle" M. says:

You should get the Zanotto's involved, especially since they have a store right down the street.

2/11/2009 Rav "Gobble Gobble" V. says:

there is more to downtown than just the Shark tank...

2/11/2009 Leo L. says:

robert....i like you bud....i knew they weren't playing when they made you elite.
you prove you deserve that title ...

the natural
+100 for that one

2/11/2009 Robert "hebrew rocker" H. says:

Best movie ever.

2/11/2009 Robert "hebrew rocker" H. says:

19 minutes ago sergio o. says:

Are you kidding me? This would be the best thing for San Jose!! Has anyone been to San Diego's Little Italy? Or How about NYC? They are fantastic boroughs and it would bring a lot more revenue to a downtown that only survives SJ Shark games! Face it guy's, if San Jose didn't have the Shark Tank, there would be nothing downtown. You could put on the list with Modest or Stockton as a miserable place to visit!!!
====================
Sorry Sergio but all the Italians that inhabited Little Italy in NYC are either in jail or moved to NJ or Staten Island.
Uh, and there's more to do downtown than just post Sharks Game stuff. I personally like to fight 30 dudes in order to get the attention of a fat ugly girl. Great Pasttime.

2/11/2009 Pauline "fabulous & frugal" L. says:

What a great idea!  We could bring a North Beach to the South Bay!  Another favorite Little Italy spot is in Boston's North End.... Joshua, please keep us in the loop!

2/11/2009 Brian "A 'Space Cowboy' but rarely a 'Gangster of Love'" B. says:

Great idea. It'll be more like a micro Italy but that's cool. The difference between say, North End or North Beach, they were real Italian neighborhoods rather than manufactured ones. However, there is a good one in San Diego that I think was fabricated.

2/11/2009 Linda "Burger obsessed culinarian" L. says:

+1 on the fresh mozza.

@Sergio O:  San Diego's Little Italy is wonderful.  One of the best Italian meals I've ever had was in SDLI -  and not even at one of the better rated restaurants!

Seriously - would love to see a Little Italy in San Jose as long as the powers that be are thoughtful enough to ensure a degree of authenticity with it all.  Nothing will ruin the concept quicker than if it gets overrun by non-authentic wannabe's.

Fresh mozzarella (including the option to purchase the raw curds to bring home and make oneself -sooo good that way)
Fresh authentic focaccia (salivating)
Fresh pasta (thinking about dinner)
Fresh authentic Italian delis with authentic Italian cured meats (wanting lunch)
Fresh authentic olives and tapenades (tingling in mouth)
oooooo - the list could go on (want it all now)

I'm down for La Villa as long as they don't abandon their WG location.  

Ciao!

2/11/2009 Z "sta loca" G. says:

That's a great idea. I'm with Ed H. on the fresh Mozz !!! Maybe a little deli that sells a variety of cheeses, blocks and blocks of parm and pecorino ooooh salami galore, hanging in the window.
http://upload.wikimedi...

BTW
Where is little portugal??

2/11/2009 Anna "you remind me of my gucci shoes" S. says:

damn linda, you are making me hungry.

ZG, little portugal is in east san jose, near the 101 exit onto alum rock. there's a portugese-dominated catholic church there, some portugese-only social clubs, fish markets, etc. Where i grew up in the older part of Santa Clara has a ton of pork-and-cheese people too, near the SES hall, which has portugese parades all the time. there are a few portugese bakeries and delis in santa clara, like neto sausage co, which is moving. most of the portugese people i grew up around are pretty old now, they are moving into retirement homes.

2/11/2009 Beth W. says:

When in San Diego's Little Italy area, we visited this amazing dessert spot which would be awesome if they had a branch in San Jose's Little Italy:  http://www.extraordina.../  

The San Diego Little Italy branch of Extraordinary Desserts is on Union Street....

2/11/2009 Robert "hebrew rocker" H. says:

It can't be little Italy without Pizza Hut and Bucca di Beppo.

2/11/2009 Anthony "2 degrees from kevin Bacon... mmmm.. bacon." B. says:

Anna "crunchatize me cap'n!" S. says:

i like reading about all  the history. guru's liquor store was the first grocery store? ha ha ha.

------------------------------ ------------------------------ --------------------------

Yeah, the one across the street from my house. It was Joey Francos PW, and Joey Franco lived with his family upstairs.

Most of my Italian relatives still live and work in the Northside. My 2nd Cousin owns Galli produce there and my great Aunts still have homes here as well. Some of them have relocated to the Alum Rock area too. My Great Grandfather, Anthony Bassoni came here in 1885 and was part of the burgeoning Italian community.

2/11/2009 Anna "you remind me of my gucci shoes" S. says:

seriously? guru's is like 10x20 ft. you know joey franco's granddaughters went to my high school, right anthony? his granddaughter joey jalalian became a b movie actress, mostly horror flicks i think.

i bet when your great grampa came here, it was a tiny town. my grampa wrote this book on milpitas a few years back for their 50th anniversary, i was looking at it last weekend for the first time. the front page has an aerial view of milpitas in 1954, it was pretty much just one main street. craziness.

2/11/2009 Joshua "Joshua" D. says:

Our Little Italy project in San Jose is very similar to what took place in the Little Italy Neighborhood in San Diego 10 years ago.  They took an old "Little Italy" Neighborhood that was abandoned and the Italian Community revived the area with a new Italian Cultural Center and dozens of authentic family owned Italian Businesses.  The arts play a key role in all of the Italian Neighborhoods across the United States and will be a key part of our own future Italian District in San Jose.

2/11/2009 Beth W. says:

Good to know Joshua!  Folks, you should consider looking over the website for this project on Joshua's Yelp profile or at the top of this thread.  There's lots of information to review...and look forward to!

2/11/2009 Leo L. says:

"The arts play a key role in all of the Italian Neighborhoods across the United States and will be a key part of our own future Italian District in San Jose."
--------------

that's cool.

2/11/2009 Ann "Living in the 510" L. says:

cool, i'd go to a Little Italy in SJ!

2/11/2009 austin "dennis" c. says:

nice! bettter than nothing

2/11/2009 watani "in training" f. says:

more culture is better than no culture

2/11/2009 Chris "Are you gay? Does your mom know youre gay?" C. says:

I support ya really trying to get this off the ground because I really do think that our area could use more culture but I still just dont see where this is going. Cuz your not going to have any luck knocking down anything on the Alameda or Julian Street... especially the High Life. You knock that place down you will have an angry mob after you lol. I know that there was a proposed Safeway going downtown but I thought it was going inside of condos like the one in SF by the ball park.

I personally think that the best place for this idea would be off of Cottle/Santa Teresa where they are going to be building a brand new shopping center soon. The land is HUGE and has potential for a lot and nobody wants to see another Santana Row around here. That area of SJ is really nice, actually my personal favorite area, and is in need of something nice besides the local coffee shops. It is close to the light rail station and all too.

Little Italy in downtown will be the new little homeless pan handling zone, and with the competition there it would make things rough. With the chop houses, Amicis (which I hate, but some people love it), and all the other food places I just dont see anyone really taking interest in this being here. That is just me though, I am not a business person by any means but I know that downtown SJ is already filled with events and places to see. I would also imagine that SJ would be more concerned about building the Earthquake a new stadium as promised since that would bring in revenue as well, but hey who knows what will be build.

Best of luck though! Just dont get a Maggianos if this place goes up. Maggianos sucks!

2/12/2009 Linda "Burger obsessed culinarian" L. says:

oh yeah - make sure one of those Italian delis/markets makes burratta! :)

2/12/2009 Mimi L. says:

I'd definitely welcome this.

Chris, I have to totally disagree that downtown SJ is already filled with events and places to see.  Walking around on a weekend during the daytime is depressing.  So much potential and no foot traffic except for maybe J-town (not really in downtown), the area around the movie theater, MLK library, Cesar Chavez Park?  It's not enough to draw me into downtown during the daytime.  I admit they do a good job with special events like festivals, but those aren't frequent enough.

So far it sounds like they're looking for authentic Italian businesses, and nothing chain-like.  So all I have to say is "welcome, cannolis!"

2/12/2009 Michael "Sore ha kanojo to itta" C. says:

Robert "No cummupance for me!" H. says:

Is this a California (besides SF and LA) thing? Forcing pseudo ethnic areas into cities? I'm pretty sure most 'chinatowns' and other variations come from FOB's who stick to their own. Learn from real cities like NY or SF.
---
I agree that chinatowns in SF are better, but not sure about LA?  at least not the official chinatown of LA over in downtown...

2/12/2009 Michael "Sore ha kanojo to itta" C. says:

Oh whoops... misread on that last one...

real cities like NY or SF... so never been to NY's chinatown... is that Queens?  not sure how that one compares to other chinatowns...

2/12/2009 Robert "hebrew rocker" H. says:

It's in Manhattan. And it's run by Africans who bootleg clothes and DVDs

2/12/2009 Z "sta loca" G. says:

Anna "crunchatize me cap'n!" S. says:

ZG, little portugal is in east san jose, near the 101 exit onto alum rock. there's a portugese-dominated catholic church there
Oh that's right. I forgot about the Portuguese Church/Hall.
-----------------------------
Ahahaaaaa.....That's right. I forgot about the Portuguese Church/Hall.

--------------------------
Why don't they do something with the Pavilion Bldg?
Are there any plans for that, does anyone know?
I remember hanging out there when I was 15...taking the VTA with my friends and getting off right in front of Johnny Rockets and walking around the Pavilion Shops. I bought my first Giants Jersey there at a little sports store they had on a corner.

I haven't been in there since San Jose Live closed sooooo I wouldn't know if there are actually in shops in there now or shops worth going to anyway

2/12/2009 Michael "Sore ha kanojo to itta" C. says:

Robert "No cummupance for me!" H. says:

Is this a California (besides SF and LA) thing? Forcing pseudo ethnic areas into cities? I'm pretty sure most 'chinatowns' and other variations come from FOB's who stick to their own. Learn from real cities like NY or SF.

Robert "No cummupance for me!" H. says:

It's in Manhattan. And it's run by Africans who bootleg clothes and DVDs
---
So I am a bit confused then... it's better to open ethnic neighborhoods run by other ethnicities?

2/12/2009 vicky "yelp *hyna #2" t. says:

this is very cool! I will pass it along to someone I know will be interested (he also does art work and metal sculpture if you need something done!!)

2/12/2009 watani "in training" f. says:

chinatown in ny is not ran by africans.

2/12/2009 Robert "hebrew rocker" H. says:

watani "sea otter classic 2009" f. says:

chinatown in ny is not ran by africans.
============================
It's where I bought every bootleg item I owned. From Africans. They are everywhere in Chinatown.

2/12/2009 Joshua "Joshua" D. says:

I think there is some misconceptions about the project.  I encourage you to check out the website at http://www.littleitaly....  This "Little Italy" project is a grass roots effort by several Italian Organizations in San Jose to revive the original Italian Neighborhood in San Jose that the first Italian immigrants settled in.  We are prospecting family or locally owned Italian Businesses or artists to bring Italian culture and a more vibrant art scene to downtown San Jose.

2/12/2009 Chris "Are you gay? Does your mom know youre gay?" C. says:

Re: Mimi L. says:

I'd definitely welcome this.
_____________________________

Yeah youre right, sometimes it can be bland downtown but I was referring more to the museums and shows that they occassionally do. HP pavilion usually has something going on, the tech museum has some pretty cool things now and then too. There are a lot of restaurants in this area but I too would totally welcome some new non-chain italian joints in this neck of the woods. I guess its just a wait and see kind of situation to see where this place may or may not go.

2/12/2009 Anna "you remind me of my gucci shoes" S. says:

Mimi L. says:

I'd definitely welcome this.

Chris, I have to totally disagree that downtown SJ is already filled with events and places to see.  Walking around on a weekend during the daytime is depressing.  So much potential and no foot traffic except for maybe J-town (not really in downtown), the area around the movie theater, MLK library, Cesar Chavez Park?  It's not enough to draw me into downtown during the daytime.  I admit they do a good job with special events like festivals, but those aren't frequent enough.

So far it sounds like they're looking for authentic Italian businesses, and nothing chain-like.  So all I have to say is "welcome, cannolis!"
--------------
i totally agree with mimi. i've spent a lot of time downtown, because i went to high school there, among other things, and downtown is a joke, it can always use help. especially local businesses, not chains.

2/12/2009 Mark a p. says:

I'd like to bring little Cleveland district to San Jose

2/12/2009 Michael "Sore ha kanojo to itta" C. says:

That's what I tell all friends from out-of-town about downtown SJ... when you come in, it "tricks" you into thinking that something really cool is happening... it has a lot of potential, but once you are there, there's not a whole lot to do other than eat or drink, but all the places start to blend together after a while...

I welcome anything that can stand out... It was exciting to have Morton's come into town, but that quickly wore off after going and realizing that it's just like any other Morton's... It would take a long time, but would be cool for something original from San Jose to make it uniquely San Jose...

2/12/2009 watani "in training" f. says:

Robert "No cummupance for me!" H. says:

It's where I bought every bootleg item I owned. From Africans. They are everywhere in Chinatown.

===

you mean they have actual shops? if they do, doesn't mean they actually run chinatown. i'm sure the landlords are chinese mafia or regular chinese folk.

2/12/2009 Michael "Sore ha kanojo to itta" C. says:

watani "sea otter classic 2009" f. says:

Robert "No cummupance for me!" H. says:

It's where I bought every bootleg item I owned. From Africans. They are everywhere in Chinatown.

===

you mean they have actual shops? if they do, doesn't mean they actually run chinatown. i'm sure the landlords are chinese mafia or regular chinese folk.
---
I wonder if they pay protection money like everyone else?

2/12/2009 Anna "you remind me of my gucci shoes" S. says:

watani "sea otter classic 2009" f. says:

Robert "No cummupance for me!" H. says:

It's where I bought every bootleg item I owned. From Africans. They are everywhere in Chinatown.\
===
you mean they have actual shops? if they do, doesn't mean they actually run chinatown. i'm sure the landlords are chinese mafia or regular chinese folk.
----------
watani, you may not be aware of it, but robert tends towards sarcasm. He is not usually to be taken literally. like the bible.

2/12/2009 Z "sta loca" G. says:

I just browsed the website http://www.littleitaly..., and it look great. It's very exciting.
There are already a lot of interested businesses, a pizzeria a bakery and a gelato spot. I also noticed a familiar name... Maurizio's Ristorante Italiano.... He has a restaurant here in Morgan Hill http://www.yelp.com/bi...

I can't wait, and the sketches of the cultural center are amazing

2/12/2009 Karl S. says:

This sounds like a great idea!

2/13/2009 Lindsey H. says:

I am soooo excited! It should blend in well with the new public market at San Pedro square a block away. There is so much potential in the historic homes near hi-life as well. I could see stores and restaurants overlooking Guadalupe River park after the houses are renovated. Oh yes, and please bring in some Gelato.

From what I here there are some deep pocketed developers behind this. Best of luck!

2/13/2009 Berg "The Savage Noble" W. says:

I love me some Italian food...but...shouldn't ethnic "towns" be somewhat organic?

2/13/2009 Hazel "nutella spreader" G. says:

mmmmm i can't wait!!!!

2/23/2009 sergio o. says:

Follow Little Italy on Twitter: http://twitter.com/lit...

2/23/2009 Jo "JoJo" V. says:

I thought Willow Glen was little italy...hello... Italian festival, every year for 27 years.

2/25/2009 Andrew "SanJoseCityLiving.com Admin" M. says:

Hey Chris "Are you gay? Does your mom know youre gay?" C.

Safeway pulled out after all.  Could be a negotiation tactic.

And knocking down HiLife would NEEEVER happen.  I'll stand with anyone in front of a wrecking ball if it comes down to that.  
hmmmm beef.... *drool*

-Andrew
http://www.sanjosecity...

2/25/2009 Rav "Gobble Gobble" V. says:

Andrew: really..the one planned under the 88? http://www.bayareanews...

i checked out your website and it's neat but def has a few glitches.

2/25/2009 Anna "you remind me of my gucci shoes" S. says:

what's the 88 Rav? it's the name of a shopping ctr? what street corners?

personally, i've seen the SJ redevelopment agency make a ton of pricey mistakes downtown, subsidizing unsustainable businesses with taxpayer money. i hope that any money the city puts in this time contributes to the economy, doesn't just create another business area that will bust in a few years.

2/25/2009 Rav "Gobble Gobble" V. says:

the 88 is a new tower on San Fernando between 1st and 2nd.  the homes are nice and the views are amazing. i agree with what you say about the redevelopment agency but for the most part downtown is better now than ever before. i read an article about the zanotto's owner not wanting it (safeway) built..i wonder why =)

2/25/2009 Rav "Gobble Gobble" V. says:

safeway was/is to be built on the ground floor of this tower with their new "urban concept" model supermarket

2/25/2009 Kri "Kristin" B. says:

Great idea!  I would love to help, if I can.  One request... please recruit at least 1 non-bar business that is open late.  I just moved to Japantown from SF North Beach and really miss late night Scrabble at the cafe.

2/25/2009 Jo "JoJo" V. says:

I love North Beach...The Steps of Rome...and the boys yelling BELLA...BELLA!

3/16/2009 Jeff "Smile now cry later" A. says:

This post violated the Yelp Terms of Service and has been removed.

3/16/2009 Weide "living embodiment of the exact opposite of lame" Z. says:

I don't think there ever *was* or right now *is* a corner of this valley devoid of Italians.. If you put on a blind-fold and threw a dart at a map and the dart landed on the 101 880 interchange.. you could probably conjure up *some* historical reason for "Little Italy" being right there..

3/16/2009 Weide "living embodiment of the exact opposite of lame" Z. says:

Of course my previous remark was made in haste and not literally true.. Of course, there was a time that parts of this Valley were completely devoid of Italians.. but probably not within memory of *my* generation.. or the generation before that..

3/16/2009 James "The Man" W. says:

Josh wrote

"The other "Little Italy" was the 13th street district."

FYI,

The area you're talking about is actually called the northside. The neighborhood is from 10th street down to 21st street going west to east, and Empire Street to Hedding Street going south to north. This district is pretty large with lots of Mexican taco places and liquor stores. It was once an all Italian neighborhood but is mostly Mexican now. The strip on 13th between Jackson and Taylor is called the Luna Park business district. You can still see some of the old Italians hanging out at Rollo's donut shop on 13th and Jackson. The houses on 16th street between Jackson and Taylor are mostly still Italian owned. Chiaramonte's deli is still on 13th and still owned by the same family. I remember the flower shop on 13th and Jackson across from Rollo's was owned by an Italian family from Tuscany. It's still a flower shop but is not Italian and is called something else.

List of old Italian owned businesses on the northside

1. Rollo's donut shop (13th and Jackson)- Owned by the Ciraullo family until 1996.

2. Maria's Flowers (13th and Jackson)- Owned by an Italian family until 1983.

3. Chiaramonte's deli (13th between Jackson and Taylor)- Owned by same family since 1908.

4. Tony's pool hall (W. Taylor street)- Owned by Ciraullo family until 1979.

5. Giovanni's pizza (13th and Hedding)- Owned by the Barone family until 1988.

6. Northside Market (13th and Hedding)- Italian owned until 1985.

7. Bonnino's liquor store (13th and Taylor)- Owned by the Bonnino family until 1975.

8. Sicilian macaroni comany (13th between Jackson and Taylor)- owend by two Sicilians until the late 1950's.

3/16/2009 K W. says:

It's called Willow Glen.

Say what you will, but that area is still very Italian, even with the bad side of Lincoln.

3/18/2009 Jeff "Smile now cry later" A. says:

Jeff, you raised a good point. Italians only had those "Litte Italy" hoods 'cause they were just trying to make it and fit in. Once they did make it, they moved out of the hood and spread out to other areas, This happened in Oakland, where west Oakland was all Italian but was taken over by blacks in the 1950s. The excelsior district in SF was also very Italian but became a Latino community. Santa Rosa's westend neighborhood was a 'Little Italy." Highway 101 cut out part of that area in 1948. So many of the Italians moved away and the homes were bought by landlords who let their buildings get rundown.

Monterey still has a large "Little Italy" called Spaghetti Hill on Franklin Street. If you're ever there check it out. My friend Mike lives in the Hill and says when he goes for his morning walks he could here people speaking Italian. Chuck Della Salla the Mayor of Monterey is a second generation Sicilian and the infamous Leon Penetta is Italian as well.

The only true Italian hoods left in Cali is North beach in SF, Little Italy in San Diego and Spaghetti Hill in Monterey...........

3/18/2009 James "The Man" W. says:

I forgot to put Fanelli's drug store on my list of Italian businesses in north San Jose. Fanelli's sold their store to the Arena family in 1974 and they turned it into a liquor store called E&J. They were directly across the street from Bonnino's liquor store on 13th and W. Taylor.........

3/18/2009 Martha "Queen B" S. says:

awesome! i look forward to checking it out. ive been looking for a place where i can buy lady fingers to make my tiramisu.

3/29/2009 Joshua "Joshua" D. says:

Don't worry Henry's High life is not being knocked down. Actually one of the main reasons Little Italy is moving into that area is because orignally Henry's High life was called the Torino Italian hotel which was a hotel that housed Italian immigrants until 1960 and had an Italian restaurant on the bottom floor until it sold in the 1960's and became the Henry's High life.

3/29/2009 Joshua "Joshua" D. says:

Hey James. I love all the historical Italian references. I have a lot of photos of old Italian Businesses on the website http://www.littleitaly... and we would love to add some more of your photos to the site.

4/13/2009 James "The Man" W. says:

I used to have a photo of Mr. Fanelli at his drug store on N. 13th and W. Taylor streets. But I must have missed placed it. Sorry about that. They have some cool posts about the project on San Jose Inside. Also check out http://www.Italiansrus.... Good luck Josh........

4/13/2009 Brian "A 'Space Cowboy' but rarely a 'Gangster of Love'" B. says:

Loves me my Hi Life history lesson. Thanks!

4/14/2009 James "The Man" W. says:

Jeff,

were you trying to say  I had a good point or your self?

5/18/2009 sergio o. says:

Everybody check out this Little Italy San Jose Presentation:

http://show.zoho.com/p...

5/18/2009 Falco "The Falco" M. says:

I'm ALL for this :)

5/18/2009 Nichole "Xochiquetzal" S. says:

Sounds nice.  Can't wait.  Good luck

5/19/2009

This account has been closed.

5/19/2009 Ruslan "Russian Roulette" K. says:

We need some italian clothing stores around here.

5/21/2009 Joshua "Joshua" D. says:

Yes, Please check out the link for the Powerpoint presentation for Little Italy San Jose.  Thanks go out to Sergio, our webmaster for putting this on the web.
http://show.zoho.com/p...

Joshua

6/15/2009 sergio o. says:

June 27th, 2009 - 9am @Henry;s Hi-Life. We are doing a clean up Little Italy day - http://www.facebook.co...

6/15/2009 David "Kimchee" K. says:

oh please have a place with a great pizza! if so then it will be a success!

6/18/2009 sergio o. says:

Hey Everyone,

I just want to update everyone that the PUSH in bringing a Little Italy to downtown San Jose is taking off thanks to all the great volunteers and support from the city of San Jose. I have posted a new video - http://www.youtube.com... - the website showing the "Master Plan" and a walking tour of the potential Little Italy area. Also don't forget to visit the Little Italy San Jose website - http://www.littleitaly.... We really need to Spread The Word about this project.

Sergio