Tag: little italy

Bust of war hero in Little Italy’s Piazza Basilone.

Bust of World War II hero John Basilone in Little Italy.
Bust of World War II hero John Basilone in Little Italy.

This handsome bust is the central feature of Piazza Basilone, a small urban space with tables, umbrellas and a fountain at the corner of India and Fir Street in Little Italy.

A plaque beneath the bust begins with the following words:

GUNNERY SERGEANT JOHN BASILONE

NOVEMBER 4, 1916 – FEBRUARY 19, 1945

SERGEANT JOHN BASILONE WAS ONE OF THE FIRST ENLISTED MARINES TO BE AWARDED THE CONGRESSIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR OF WORLD WAR II. HE WAS ALSO POSTHUMOUSLY AWARDED THE NATIONAL CROSS.

HE WAS BORN TO ITALIAN IMMIGRANTS, SALVATORE AND DORA BASILONE, IN BUFFALO, NEW YORK. HE AND HIS TEN BROTHERS AND SISTERS GREW UP IN RARITAN, NEW JERSEY. RESTLESS AND ADVENTUROUS BY NATURE, JOHN ENLISTED IN THE ARMY AT THE AGE EIGHTEEN AND WAS ASSIGNED TO GARRISON SERVICE IN THE PHILIPPINES.

AFTER HIS HONORABLE DISCHARGE FROM THE ARMY, BASILONE RETURNED TO RARITAN. AS THE STORM CLOUDS OF WAR GATHERED, JOHN BELIEVED HIS PLACE WAS WITH THE FIGHTING FORCES. IN JULY 1940 HE ENLISTED IN THE MARINE CORPS.

IT WAS ON GUADACANAL THAT SERGEANT BASILONE ACHIEVED HIS PLACE IN MARINE CORPS HISTORY, BECOMING ONE OF THE FIRST ENLISTED MARINES TO BE AWARDED THE MEDAL OF HONOR OF WORLD WAR II; THE NATION’S HIGHEST AWARD FOR EXTRAORDINARY HEROISM AND CONSPICUOUS GALLANTRY IN ACTION.

During the Battle of Guadalcanal, Basilone held off 3,000 Japanese troops after his unit was almost entirely destroyed. He was later killed in action on the first day of the Battle of Iwo Jima.

Planet Earth globe fountain in Little Italy's Piazza Basilone.
Planet Earth globe fountain in Little Italy’s Piazza Basilone.

This unique fountain is just a few feet away.

Peek into the San Diego Firehouse Museum.

sign at the firehouse museum in little italy

If you’re ever in the Little Italy neighborhood in downtown San Diego, you might want to check out the small but jam-packed Firehouse Museum.

Shiny red fire trucks, interesting historical photos, old fire fighting apparatus, memorabilia and even Smokey Bear are on display. And excited kids can climb into one of the cool fire engines!

This sign by the sidewalk invites tourists and passersby to take a peek into the firehouse.

a peek at a cool firetruck and smokey bear

I took a photo from outside, aiming left.

old firetrucks in san diego firehouse museum

And then the above photo aiming right.

The next pic was taken on a later day, in the early morning when the museum was still closed…

The San Diego Firehouse Museum in the early morning.
The San Diego Firehouse Museum in the early morning.

A plaque appeared on the museum’s exterior in mid to late 2015!

Old Fire Station Number Six. From 1915 to 1970, San Diego Fire Department's original Fire Station 6 proudly served the community of Little Italy.
Old Fire Station Number Six. From 1915 to 1970, San Diego Fire Department’s original Fire Station 6 proudly served the community of Little Italy.

The plaque includes this fascinating information:

In the workshop on this site some of America’s most significant fire service innovations were created by the specialty trade-skilled firefighters who worked here, including the world’s first gas engine powered fireboat, the Bill Kettner. In 1963 the National Fire Protection Association declared the national standard thread the official fire hose thread of the United States of America. The machine which enabled this federal legislation was invented here six years earlier by inventor and battalion chief Robert Ely. The common thread allowed thousands of American firefighters to connect their fire hoses together, allowing them to work as one. As a result, countless lives and priceless amounts of property and the environment have been saved.

…

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More photos of amazing chalk art at Festa!

amazing chalk art looks like watercolor

I promised even more photos of the amazing chalk art creations at Little Italy’s 2013 Festa event. Many of these pics show artists at work, applying vibrant color to the drab asphalt of a downtown San Diego street. Enjoy these images!

a fantastic work of chalk art in little italy

andy warhol style mopeds as chalk art

Andy Warhol might’ve painted mopeds in this fashion!

artistic creations using chalk in little italy

artists at work at festa event in san diego

chalk faces at little italy's festa celebration

Expressive faces. This was one of my favorites!

classic figure and italian chalk art

classic italian chalk art at festa in san diego

exotic masks and faces in little italy's festa

I also love these exotic masks and faces!

neptune holds a thunderbolt over a ship

pinocchio appears on a san diego street

What could be more Italian than Pinocchio?

strange long fingers made of chalk

Even though it’s a bit creepy, I like this one. It really appeals to the imagination!

talented young lady is an excellent chalk artist

Among the talented artists were many young people. Impressive!

the minions tip the leaning tower of pisa

It seems the Minions had a sneaky, dastardly scheme. It was to tilt the Leaning Tower of Pisa!

Stickball tournament players in Little Italy.

stickball player prepares while lineup is written

A stickball tournament was held Sunday in San Diego’s Little Italy, one block from the Festa event! The playing field was a city street in front of the Firehouse Museum. Lots of people watched from the sidewalk, sitting on lawn chairs and the curb.

Here’s a team wearing spiffy uniforms, getting ready to begin a game. A player practices his swing while the lineup is written with chalk on the street.

stickball batter swings away in little italy

Here’s a player from the opposing team swinging. If I recall correctly, he hit the rubber ball into a treetop, and it dropped for a single. Another player hit the ball onto the porch of a condo down the street. That guy was called out.

When I departed, the team in the spiffy uniforms was losing badly.

UPDATE!

Here are a couple more photos from a different Saturday morning in late summer…

A player misses and is called out to the dismay of his team.
A player misses and is called out to the dismay of his team.
Lady swings and crushes the ball a long distance down Columbia Street!
Lady swings and crushes the ball a long distance down Columbia Street!

Festa fun in San Diego’s Little Italy!

a crowd enjoys festa in little italy

Okay, here come some pics from my stroll through Festa today. This popular festival featured food, entertainment and lots of art. It took place in Little Italy, a neighborhood in the north part of downtown San Diego, once populated largely by Italian fisherman who worked in the local tuna fleet. But that was decades ago. The streets today are lined mostly with condos, restaurants and shops.

checking out some italian stuff at festa

Thousands of San Diegans turned out for the celebration. There were plenty of tents filled with crafts, clothing, toys, jewelry–just about anything you could imagine. Almost all of it was Italian-themed.

musicians perform at festa in san diego

Musical performers could be heard everywhere, entertaining the crowd from several stages. There was much romantic Italian music–and I even heard a bit of opera!

festa artist sets up some paintings

This lady is setting up some paintings behind a Little Italy fountain.

festa artwork around little italy fountain

I saw this really cool sculpture (and a number of others) beside the same fountain. All sorts of interesting elements are in this photograph!

italian food galore at little italy's festa

Italian food could be found (and smelled) wherever one turned! I enjoyed a slice of pizza!

musician plays accordion at italian festa

Smilin’ Jack performed with his accordion! That’s just a small taste of Festa!

Gesso Italiano artwork on San Diego street.

a fantastic face of chalk at festa festival

Here are more photos of the Italian chalk art, properly called Gesso Italiano, at today’s 2013 Festa event in Little Italy. I’ve got so many great pics, it’s hard to choose which ones to show. Oh, well. I hope you like these! (Make sure you check out my previous post.)

artist creates chalk madonna and child

Three blocks of a city street in San Diego’s Little Italy became the canvas for chalk creations! Lots of classical images, as one might expect from a celebration of Italy . . .

disney chalk art jiminy cricket

I bet Walt Disney himself would’ve been delighted by this colorful chalk art Jiminy Cricket!

dogue italia colorful chalk art at festa

This humorous piece seems to be named Dogue Italia. That’s one elegantly dressed dog!

elegant lady rendered in chalk at festa

More beautiful artistry . . .

italian chalk face at san diego's festa

A striking portrait. You’d think this was an exquisite painting hung in a museum!

lots of people and little italy chalk art

I have even more photos coming . . . so check back soon!

Amazing chalk art at Little Italy’s Festa!

amazing little italy festa chalk art

Wow! I just finished a leisurely walk through Little Italy’s great 2013 Festa event, and by far the most amazing part of it was the chalk art competition! I learned that Italian chalk art is called Gesso Italiano. There were 62 colorful entries, taking up three full city blocks! I got so many great photos I’m going to break it all into several blog posts. Here comes the first batch!

awesome chalk art in little italy

All the artwork was fantastic!

colorful chalk face at little italy's festa

It was fascinating to watch the many artists at work. I wish I had such talent!

crazy colorful chalk art face in little italy

Lots of people converged on San Diego’s unique Italian Festival!

creating a chalk art masterpiece

Recreating a masterpiece with chalk.

girl touches finger of michelangelo chalk art god

I love this cool pic. One of the amazing chalk creations depicted another act of creation: that of God! The Sistine Chapel’s ceiling seemed to be transported to the asphalt street. Bystanders were invited to lie down and become part of Michelangelo’s divine masterpiece!

italian chalk art creation at festa

Stay tuned for more!

Mother and child mural on Little Italy building.

IMG_5105z

Here’s a warm, colorful mural on a building in Little Italy. It depicts a mother and child.

I saw this artwork while strolling down the sidewalk. Thought you might enjoy it!

A closer examination of the mother and child tile mural in Little Italy.
A closer, higher contrast look at the mother and child tile mural in Little Italy.

Watch commercial fishermen unload their catch.

People walk down San Diego's Embarcadero.
People walk down San Diego’s Embarcadero.

watch commercial fishermen unload their catch

A great place to watch small commercial fishermen unload their catch or load up with ice is the dock just north of Seaport Village, opposite the Chesapeake Fish Company. Folks walking past can also peer through a glass window nearby and see workers in a refrigerated room cleaning and processing the fresh fish that ends up at restaurants throughout the region. I once heard the Chesapeake Fish Company is the largest fish broker west of the Mississippi.

The sign in this photograph details the history of San Diego’s fishing industry–tuna fishing and canning in particular. At one time San Diego had the largest tuna fishing fleet in the world. Many of the fishermen were Italian migrants, which gave rise to the Little Italy neighborhood, about a mile to the north on downtown’s waterfront.

Tuna Harbor, adjacent to this dock, now is home to a ragtag group of local fishing boats. It’s also a great place to spot sea lions!

Working Waterfront sign shows photographs from San Diego's rich fishing history.
Working Waterfront sign shows photographs from San Diego’s rich fishing history.
1915 photo shows immigrants cleaning and canning locally caught fish.
1915 photo shows immigrants cleaning and canning locally caught fish.
Sign contrasts abundant catch of 1980 with the decline of tuna fishing in mid 80's.
Sign contrasts abundant catch of 1980 with the decline of tuna fishing in mid 80’s.
Fishing boat passes by the dock and crane.
Fishing boat passes by the dock and crane.

Chalk evidence of stickball in Little Italy.

chalk evidence of stickball in little italy

Several days ago while out on a walk I took this photo of chalk writing on Columbia Street. It appears games of stickball have recently taken place.

Occasionally over the years I’ve wandered into people in Little Italy playing this classic American game. While the game is most popular in the Northeastern United States, organized games are played in San Diego, with a handful of teams and a few laid-back spectators on lawn chairs.

UPDATE!

I caught some live stickball action on a Saturday morning in late summer, and here are a couple pics!

Players gather for some fun on a Saturday in downtown's Little Italy.
Players gather for some fun on a Saturday in downtown’s Little Italy.
Stickball action in front of the San Diego Firehouse Museum.
Stickball action in front of the San Diego Firehouse Museum.