Fortune House to Re-Open Soon! UPDATE: Under New Management

See UPDATE below.

Residents of Brooklyn Heights have been suffering from Chinese food withdrawal ever since Fortune House Chinese Restaurant at 82 Henry Street closed for renovations.

When the "renovations" dragged on and on and no visible activity was seen taking place at the popular,   moderately-priced eatery, many assumed the restaurant was finito. (Legal troubles added fuel to the fire.)

If you miss Fortune House, the news is positive. The manager said that they are aiming to reopen the restaurant the day after Labor Day (which is Monday). This means, if they meet their goals, the restaurant could be open by next Tuesday, September 6.

According to the manager, renovations are taking place in the kitchen. They also plan to repaint the dining room. We are hoping all goes as planned because the North Heights needs a dependable, inexpensive Chinese joint like Fortune House.

UPDATE: The NY Post reports that the longtime owners have sold the restaurant to a new management team -- which promises to pay workers legal wages. Also, they're hiring.

- More On Closing and Lawsuit at Fortune House Chinese Restaurant
- Legal Troubles at Fortune House Chinese Restaurant in Brooklyn Heights?

Photo by MK Metz

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Drop Off All That Stuff You Didn't Use for Devastated Catskills

There's supposed to be a bridge here.  Photo by Aaron Bennett

Towns in the Catskill Mountain region of upstate New York were devastated by flooding in hurricane Irene's aftermath. (For those who want to see pictures or read the live blog, go to http://www.watershedpost.com)

Concerned citizens are collecting donations here in New York City. There are various locations where donations can be dropped off for transport to upstate New York by volunteers.

Many Brooklyn residents stocked up on bottled water, batteries, non-perishable food, and other emergency supplies in preparation for Hurricane Irene. The Volunteers of Catskill Mountain Relief ask that you drop off your unused supplies (or any of the below suggested items) at a donation collection center near you.

All questions or inquiries about these efforts can be directed to: CatskillMtnRelief@gmail.com

Brooklyn Donation Collection Sites:

Park Slope
Boing Boing Maternity
Corner of 6th and Union
Ask for Karen or Kevin
Tuesday through Sunday
11:00 a.m.- 7:00 a.m.
(can also leave donations in the gated yard during off hours)

Williamsburg
Red Shed Community Garden
266 Stillman Avenue
(at Kingsland)
THIS WEEK
Wednesday through Friday
6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
NEXT WEEK AND BEYOND
Tuesday and Thursday
6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Manhattan

Soho Locations (2):


Eastern Mountain Sports
530 Broadway (Spring & Broadway)
New York, NY 10012
(212) 966-8730
Monday - Friday 10 am - 9:30 pm
Saturday 10 am - 9 pm
Sunday 11 am - 8 pm

Powell Communications
84 Wooster Street # 603 (between Spring and Broome)
Monday through Friday
9:00 a.m.- 6:00 p.m.

Greenwich Village Location:

Ciao Stella Restaurant
206 Sullivan Street (between Bleecker and West 3rd)
ask for Stella
Tuesday-Saturday
5:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m.

Midtown Location:

Decorum Consulting Group
295 Madison Avenue, 8th Floor (one block from Grand Central)
Ask for Jeannine Stryker-Triolo
Monday through Friday.
8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Suggested Donations List 

In addition to bottled water and non-perishable foods, the following items are also urgently needed at present:
Cleaning Supplies
Laundry Soap
Toilet Paper
Paper Towels
Ajax/Clorox/etc.
Personal care products
Soap
Toothpaste
Toothbrushes
Deodorant
Feminine care products
Shampoo/Conditioner (adult and for babies/children)
Diapers
Baby Wipes
Clothing
Underwear (adults and children, including boxers)
Socks (adults and children)
Pajamas (adults and children)
Shoes (especially children's)
Any gently used clothing
Other
Charcoal and lighter fluid
Propane tanks
Formula and baby food
Bedding

Photo by Aaron Bennett

Thanks to Brooklynian

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DUMBO: Jane's Carousel Almost Ready

Workers are going around the clock to get Jane's Carousel in Empire State Park ready to open by September 16th, the opening date posted on Janescarousel.com.

The carousel's housing, designed by Jean Nouvel, shone like a jewel last night. A few workers were still inside, but not the horses. A park employee told us that Walentas hoped to open the park as early as Labor Day but that seems like it would be pushing it.

Photo by MK Metz

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Brooklyn Heights: Chopping Up the Mansion House Elm

The giant elm in front of the Mansion House on Hicks Street in Brooklyn Heights blew down Sunday during Hurricane Irene. The elm was roughly 85 years old, and was one of the few survivors of Dutch elm disease in the Heights. (More about the tree blowing down here.)

Workers from Terry Tree Service started chopping up the tree at around 9 a.m. Monday.

They started with the small limbs that had smashed against the wooden frame houses across the street.

It took about six hours to clear the tree away. When they were done you could see the broken cast iron fence at 146 Hicks Street, directly across from the Mansion House. Some wooden pieces fell off the facade as well.

Workers from the Mansion House picked up the bricks from where a wall used to stand. Terry Tree Service left the trunk for the Mansion House to take care of.

Photos by MK Metz

- Giant Elm With Contentious History Felled in Heights

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Missing Person In Columbia Street Waterfront District, Brooklyn

The NYPD has issued a Missing Senior Notification for Parvez Khan, male, of Pakistani descent, age 66. He is 5'5", 155 lbs, with brown eyes and black balding hair, wearing a white shirt, black pants, and white sneakers.

He was last seen near Baltic St. and Columbia St. in Brooklyn on 8/23/11. Mr. Khan is in good physical condition but poor mental condition. If you see Mr. Khan, call 800-577-TIPS (8477).

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Have a Safe Day, Everybody

Positive plywooding from Galapagos in DUMBO.

Photo by MK Metz

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No Buses From Brooklyn to Manhattan. Thanks, MTA.

What's missing from the bus map above?

Brooklyn commuters scrambling to find a way to travel to Manhattan in the aftermath of Hurricane Irene can say, "Thanks, MTA, for eliminating the only bus routes from Downtown Brooklyn and Williamsburg to Manhattan."

MTA decided last year to eliminate the B51 from Downtown Brooklyn to Manhattan, and the B39 from Williamsburg to Manhattan. They saved a miniscule amount of money -- probably less than it costs to chauffeur the MTA bosses around by car --and inconvenienced thousands of commuters, especially elderly, disabled and high school students.

MTA will crank up subway service this morning starting at 6 a.m. but warns that trains will run less frequently
and will be more crowded than usual.

Ever helpful, Mayor Bloomberg said yesterday at his post-Irene press conference, "There’s taxis, and some people can walk."

Thanks for the advice, Mayor.

- No More Bus Between Brooklyn and Manhattan

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Giant Linden Tree On Joralemon Street Just Fell On Someone's Car: Brooklyn Heights

At 5 p.m. this afternoon, when the streets were full of strolling pedestrians (celebrating the departure of Hurricane Irene), a giant Linden tree came crashing down on top of someone's car on Joralemon Street. The front windshield was cracked (and the roof may have been dented but it was hard to tell). The tree was growing in front of 49 Joralemon Street.

A white car, parked behind the blue one, can be seen buried in the branches. The tree's trunk didn't land on this one so it may not be very damaged.

Earlier this morning Hurricane Irene blew down the huge old elm tree in front of the Mansion House on Hicks Street.

Photos by MK Metz

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Hurricane Irene Blows Down Huge Old Elm Tree in Brooklyn Heights

The huge and lovely 80-year-old elm tree in front of the Mansion House at 145 Hicks Street in Brooklyn Heights was blown down by Hurricane Irene early this morning.

Residents of the Mansion House told the Brooklyn Eagle back in 2007 that the tree was "one of the few healthy survivors of the Dutch elm disease that devastated most of these majestic trees in the past century."

The tree caused a stir (and here) several years ago when the Mansion House considered chopping it down. But popular sentiment prevailed and the tree was stabilized with cables instead.

Super-saturated soil and wind from Hurricane Irene finally brought this graceful giant down.

The tree fell on an early-19th century (1826) wooden house at 146 Hicks Street, smashing the iron fence and perhaps causing some structural damage. It also hit 148 Hicks, a similar old frame house. The Wooden House Project blog has information about these houses.

UPDATE: Late Sunday afternoon a giant linden tree crashed down on Joralemon Street. More here.

- Arborcide in Brooklyn Heights, Again

Photos by MK Metz

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Hurricane Irene Power Outages in Brooklyn -- UPDATE Sunday, 8 p.m.

UPDATE: As of 8 p.m. Sunday, Con Ed reports that roughly 7,000 customers in Brooklyn are still without power.The company says it hopes to get all power up and running by Tuesday.

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