John Fraim

Anthem to a New Land

New Albany is a quiet, comfortable town five miles NE from the outer belt of Columbus. Stories of its history are well known in the city. Basically, it was a project in the life of a great retail genius Lex Wexner. But, with Easton and the idea of the outdoor mall. I realized that Lex was more of an urban visionary than just a retail legend. Wexner was able to brilliantly weave both together. Sales within a new urban outdoor small-town concept like Easton in Columbus. 

My wife Stephanie and I moved back here from Palm Desert, California in 2015. Somewhat to be with her parents who were getting up in age. Both of us had bounced between Ohio and California all our lives. I was born in LA and Stephanie raised a family there in the 80s and 90s. Both of us still missed the West coast. But not the crazy politics of the state.

We were living in a condo in Palm Desert, California when my mother passed away at her home of 43 years in Indian Wells, California. At her home on the Eldorado Golf Course, right below Eisenhower Peak. Steph and I had been helping take care of her in her final months of terminal cancer. 

* * *

After she passed, we considered moving into LA or maybe San Diego, even the Bay Area, it was still beautiful at this time. We took a drive around California and stopped in the cities we knew well. But they had changed so much. It was as if a different, alien population, were now occupying the cities we used to own in our youth. 

California has changed so much. In the years we had both lived in Columbus, Ohio, LA had changed so much. In bad ways. So much since I went to UCLA and Loyola Law School. And for Stephanie too who was a teacher in LA at the Campbell School in North Hollywood, full of many famous actors kids. She was the drama teacher. And then started one of the greatest dating ventures in history called Great Expectations. A logical choice for a drama teacher.

* * *

Recently, Stephanie and I decided to relocate to Ft. Collins, Colorado. Mainly to be near family. But also, a few miles from the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. So, this is somewhat of a reflection on our ten years hear in this urban vision called New Albany.

I got to know the nearby Rosewood Park soon when I would walk my black greyhound through the park that second fall, we arrived in New Albany and our new three-year-old black, female greyhound named Genna. Stephanie was a greyhound fanatic and had three of them before and would freeze when she saw one. We even stopped at the Greyhound Hall wherever it is. Steph said it was the most historic greyhound site in the nation.

There was a little convincing I needed but Steph convinced me and we drove out to a little farm near Granville one crisp Spring day and met Genna for the first time. I became so close to her. Steph had to attend to health problems of her father this time so stayed at his house. While I was left with Genna. But when we had to put Genna down 8 years after we rescued her because of an old racing injury that left her in great pain.

* * *

After Genna, I decided to get a bike to explore New Albany and get in shape. I really got to know New Albany when I got a Trek bike and began working out different bike paths through New Albany using some bike GPS apps allowing me to plot my various rides as well as the heights of the rides and the distance. I did not want to ride with the bike club in town but wanted to create a safe, good work-out through all parts of New Albany, both south or 161 and north of it. 

Truly, I can say I never thought I would really understand New Albany through the bike trails I’ve created on the app. Very safe streets when you must go on streets. Mostly off streets. No  major intersections. For those solo riders or riders of just a few.

So many reflections on this magic community of New Albany. Perhaps I’ll put them all together sometime. There are many of them. Many posted to the local NextDoor. 

Someday, there might be a book written about all of this. This beautiful town (Best Small Town In America, Business Insider, 2023). The history of this little town which used to be head of many of the retail peope in Columbus. But now, many tech gurus had some pretty wild placed and now this town of New Albany, the center of the Ohio tech revolution.

* * *

Steph and I are at Highbanks Distillery tonight, our favorite place. A few excellent vodka tonics (made with their own vodka) and a great Asian salad with that special hot ingredients. The food, a step above as usual. I swear some of the best chefs in town are in the kitchen! I don’t know. It might just be me hallucinating from the hot sauce of the incredible salad tonight.

Both of us are movie buffs. But Stephanie has met about 80% of the actors in all types of films we see. She knew many of them when she lived in LA. I knew them as car customers of my father’s Lincoln Car Dealersip right across Washingting from the main entrance to MGM. I couldn’t believe the placement of my father’s car dealership so I Googled it on maps and then located the exact spot of his dealership. Steph and I stayed in the old Culver Hotel for a few nights. (A few blocks from MGM Studios). We drove down Washington one morning. Using GPS to locate the exact spot.

Here it was. I turned in and stopped. It was still a car lot but nothing as classy as my dad’s dealership. Just discount cars on their last leg before the old crusher.