Audio By Carbonatix
Westchester is known for having the highest percentage of Cuban-Americans in the country, which is impressive, since it even surpasses the mighty Hialeah, albeit by a measly three percent. A tourist destination it is not, Westchester has long been an outpost for souped up Accords and old country ways, where FIU students and aging grandparents watch the latest installment of Sabado Gigante. You’ve surely driven through this lower to middle class enclave before, exiting it as you entered it, totally oblivious. You are not to blame, for there was nothing to see in Westchester — until now.
The Bronze Horse of Westchester, located in the heart of the unincorporated district, epitomizes what this city is about–absurdity minus the irony.
The beautiful beast, frozen in its exalted state, seems to be attempting
to gallop away from Westchester, only to be surrounded and imprisoned
by lackluster suburban shrubbery. The question, of course, is: WHY?!
We can only speculate, but conspicuous consumption seems to be to blame.
Fidel took our horses! But we spent $30,000 on a bronze
replica of McGee, our beloved thoroughbred, and stuck it in our front
yard. Capitalism above all! Even taste!
Recently, we sat down in a park — live animals all around — with a
Westchester native and neighbor of the horse, who has chosen to remain
anonymous.
New Times: Does the horse add to the aesthetic value of the neighborhood? Westchester as a whole?
Anonymous Westchester Dweller: Sometimes birds shit on it, giving it an
artistic polka-dot look. Quite surreal the juxtaposition between actual
nature and the artifice of nature.
Spotlights are turned on at night, illuminating the beast. Can you
describe the image for those us afraid of venturing into Westchester
after dark?
It’s haunting, really, how it almost comes to life. You half expect
Robert E. Lee to materialize out of thin air and ride off on it onto the
Palmetto.
You seem inspired by the horse, in awe of its grandeur. Will we see
artificial livestock grazing on your lawn in the near future?
My wife and I have commissioned Romero Britto, who we hope will sculpt an entire family of Art Deco Florida Panthers.
— A. Perez
