Quito cleaning up its act for visitors
Posted on Sunday, May 4, 2008
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/adg/Travel/224779/
Quito, the bustling capital of Ecuador, was for many years just a stopover for tourists heading to the Galapagos. Its Old Town was a maze of litter-strewn streets and dilapidated colonial facades, and its New Town was known for raucous partying and muggings.
But things have finally started to turn around, thanks to a revitalization campaign initiated in 2001 that has poured hundreds of millions of dollars in public and private investment into neglected neighborhoods. Restoration of historic buildings and construction of hotels and attractions have made Quito more accessible, and a strengthened Policia de Turismo has made the streets safer.
The transformation is most noticeable in Old Town, a whitewashed sister of Seville, Spain, that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its centerpiece, the Church of San Francisco (Calles Cuenca and Sucre; 593-2-228-1124 ), is a hybrid of Spanish, Mudejar and Incan architecture built a halfmillennium ago.
Off Plaza Santo Domingo, the once rough-and-tumble lane of bordellos called La Ronda has reclaimed its 19 th-century splendor as a pedestrian-only circuit of galleries and cozy cafes. Casa de las Artes, in an old geraniumfilled house (Calle Morales 999; 593-2-258-4363; www. centrocultural-quito. com ), showcases Ecuadorean and international artists, as well as photographs of the area’s bohemian past.
Pockets of New Town have also undergone a stylish transformation. The formerly seedy intersection of Plaza Foch has changed overnight into a European-style square with sidewalk cafes and public art. Popular with well-heeled Quitenos is Zazu (Calle Mariano Aguilera 331; 593-2-254-3559; www. zazuquito. com ), the latest fusion restaurant in town. It serves nouveau dishes like grilled sea bass with coconut foam ($ 14 ).
Cultural treasures are also being restored. The new Mindalae Museum (Calle Reina Victoria N 26-166 and La Nina; 593-2-223-0609 ) shows the handicraft of Ecuador’s ethnic groups.
Perhaps the best spot to take in all of Quito’s changes is at the top of the Pichincha Volcano, which hems in the city’s west side. The new TeleferiQo aerial tram (Avenidas Occidental and La Gasca; 593-2-222-2996; www. teleferiqo. com ) whisks riders to an elevation of 13, 290 feet where, on a clear day, visitors can see the tops of Cotopaxi and other active volcanoes.
Despite its rapid transformation, Quito hasn’t washed away its color and culture. Suited businessmen and pierced teenagers share the sidewalks with indigenous women in traditional Otavaleno garb and bowler hats. But the melding of new and old has given visitors another excuse to linger in Ecuador.