La Mariscal, Quito Tourist Mecca
Beginning across Ejido Park between Colon y Patria Avenues, this gringolandia, as the locals know it, extends to Foch Avenue. El Espiral Shopping Center in its pink and green circular exterior offers the 24/7 Coffee Tree. My favorite hangout consists of Mercado Artesenal Mariscal Sucre where I shop every chance I get. Trekking several blocks down Reina Victoria to El Quinde Plaza, Mama Clorinda's Restaurant awaits, serving Ecuadorian food that delights both the appetite and the pocket book. 
Breakfast at The Magic Bean pleases the hungry tummy quite cheaply. Hostal El Vagabundo on Wilson for $10 a night comes recommended to me by a young girl sitting next to me on the plane. For accommodations, La Mariscal also offers Quito tourists Hotel Colon Hilton and El Mercure as excellent choices. The wannabe colonial church, Santa Teresita stretches skyward with its architecture resembling old barroque. Its steeples peer at you from different directions as it beckons church lovers to come take a good look. St. Therese's relics parked at this church overnight in her grand tour through Ecuador in 2008 before heading to the basilica and on to Carmen Alto.
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