Phoenix Upper Main Ellicott City

I took this picture in July of 2018. 2 months after the 2nd round of floods.

As part of my totally fun and irresponsible adventure for the month of January, I roamed through Main Street in Historic Ellicott City.  It's been years since the flash flooding destroyed much of the downtown area, and Howard County has been hard at work ever since, installing flood alert sirens and a tunnel project that should help divert flood water away from the city and down the tunnel to the river.  Above street infrastructure has been fixed and updated.  Some of the buildings at the bottom of the street, closest to the river are still being worked on.  Others have been demolished.  But the charm of the City is back, and many businesses are back up and running. 

More about the flood and the lessons learned here: https://umbc.edu/stories/learning-from-ellicott-city/ 

Most of the businesses on Main Street open around 10 or 11.  I arrived at 10:30, found a parking space and began exploring. I hit up many of the small businesses.  I did a lot of browsing!  

 

I stopped by the B&O Railroad Museum.  This is the oldest surviving railroad station in the United States.
It was built in 1831. Passenger service at this station ended in 1949.  I visited the ladies waiting room upstairs, the freight room, and the caboose. While I was there, a train went past on the tracks next to the station.  I LOVE trains, so I ran outside to watch the train go by right along with all of the kids!  If you'd like to know more about the B&O Railroad Museum, you can visit their website here: https://www.howardcountymd.gov/ecborail

After visiting more stores, I stopped by The Phoenix Upper Main.  This beautiful restaurant sits near the higher end of Main Street. If you are familiar with Chef Gordon Ramsey, he visited The Phoenix Upper Main in 2020, and helped them get back on their feet after the devastating floods destroyed their restaurant. Unfortunately, Chef Ramsey did this work in February 2020. Just days before everything shut down for the pandemic. Through sheer determination, The Phoenix Upper Main not only survived, but has since thrived. I stopped in for my very favorite treat - a hamburger and fries. Let me tell you - that was the BEST hamburger and fries I have had in a very long time!  From my seat, I was able to see into the microbrewery. 

If you're interested in finding out more about The Phoenix Upper Main, you can visit their webpage here: https://www.phoenixuppermain.com/