In Search of Lions
I read an AZ Central article back in October that talked about how eight lion statues were set to be removed from a park at Westgate City Center because they are "anatomically correct". Oh the horror! Evidently some uptight Phoenician (or maybe "Glendalian"...is that a word?) found them offensive. Well you know me, I immediately wanted to go see the lions. Conveniently enough, my friend OT had invited me to a Coyotes game that week. I explained about the lions and we planned to find them after the game.
Side Note: The Coyotes pounded the Oilers. Literally. There was one fight, in the final period, as the Oilers became more frustrated at their mounting deficit. Coyotes spanked 'em, Edmonton went down 6 - 2. Oh and from the 13th row Gretzky is still quite the handsome devil -- though you wouldn't know it from my lame photo.
After the game we set out in search of the lions. We drove all around Westgate but could not find them. It was dark out. The police were funneling traffic. And this was in October so the shopping and theatre area was blocked off with construction fences. The lions must be inside there I thought. Not to be deterred, I emailed Jeffrey Hecht, the spokesman for Westgate developer Ellman Cos, asking if the lions were still at Westgate and where exactly they were located. No reply. I emailed him again, still no reply.
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Seemed like a couple of weeks passed before one day I get a phone call from Jeff. I tell him I am still very interested in seeing the lions. Are they still at Westgate Yes, he says they are still there. He says I am about the only person he's heard from who is interested in buying them. (I did nothing to disabuse his assumption.) Turns out they are located in Fountain Park [PDF] just south of AMC Theatres. We were so close!
Anyhoo, Jeff mentions that the lions have been a thorn in his side ever since the article was published. |
He said he was trying to get rid of them as fast as possible. I asked him if a starting bid has been set for the auction and he said no. He mentioned that one possibility might be the Phoenix Zoo would take them and facilitate the auction for their benefit.
| I crossed my fingers the lions would still be at Westgate for opening day Friday, November 17th. Long story short, we (OT and his wife Amanda, and Lynda and I) went to Westgate this past Friday in search of the terrible beasts. The lions were still there. Nice one. (Their manhood was a non issue IMO. They should just leave them be.) Took a few gratuitous photos of lion anatomy and then we walked into the shopping area. |
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Notice in the background the store has paper in the windows. Umm ya...nothing was open yet. Margaritaville, McFarlane Toys, and Sweet O Wine & Chocolate Lounge -- sound interesting! -- none of them open for business that night. The area was relatively quiet. Gordon Biersch, located toward the edge of the Westgate, was the only viable option for dinner. Note to Gordon: Please don't serve good scotch in a brandy snifter. Silly. |
If you'd like to see more of the Westgate shopping area then check out Westgate's official site. The store and restaurant lineup is nice and unique. I'm looking forward to visiting again when the are open. After dinner it was back to OT and Amanda's house where OT proceeded to school me on his fooseball table. Darn home court advantage, I demand a rematch. Yiieee!
