N E I G H B O R H O O D W AT C H La Floresta

Quito’s Creative
Quarter
Designer workshops, farm-to-table
restaurants, and independent
galleries pepper La Floresta, an artistic hub
with a small-town vibe.
B Y S T E P H A N I E G R A N A DA P H O T O G R A P H S B Y L U I S A D Ô R R

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 N E I G H B O R H O O D W AT C H La Floresta

notable pioneers, such as Andrade,

who helped set in motion street-art
projects. Artists still converge at her
indie theater, Cine Ochoymedio, which
became the center of La Floresta’s
artistic boom 17 years ago. Pick a cozy
couch in the café, or visit at night to
catch a locally produced flick or live
act. Down the street, La Huerta y La
Máquina—a nursery, gallery, and fur-
niture studio hybrid—hosts exhibits as
well as building workshops and plant-
ing classes for the DIY set. “We want to
P R E V IOU S PAG E As Quito expanded at the turn of the century, wealthy landowners flocked reconnect people to traditions of our
CLOCKWISE
FROM TOP LEFT La to the industrious city center, leaving parcels and houses to ­laborers— ancestors, who made their own things
Huerta y La Máquina woodworkers, cobblers, gardeners—who formed the neighborhood of and knew the origins of their food,”
co-owner Pablo Ortiz.
La Floresta’s joyful La Floresta in 1917. Since then, it’s grown into a district where creativity and says co-owner Luis Herrera. At the
street art. Ceramicist
Natalia Espinosa at community thrive—and in the last decade, that’s been more apparent than four-year-old +ARTE gallery, director
Perro de Loza. The
bounty from a local
ever. Those with an appreciation for the area’s history and architecture began Gabriela Moyano bolsters untapped
market. Flowers: going in on joint studios, restaurants, and galleries. Five years ago, resourceful artists who are breaking the mold.
one of Ecuador’s
chief exports. Food locals formed De La Floresta, a committee that spearheads events and policy
vendors grilling meats while protecting the enclave from gentrification. “You won’t find another place
at Parque Navarro.
like this,” says Mariana Andrade, co-founder of De La Floresta and owner of
the hood’s indie theater. “It’s the meeting point of cultures and social classes;
a place where carnivals are celebrated as big as in any small town of the Sierra; WHERE TO SHOP
where gourmet food lives comfortably next to corn tortillas and empanadas.” La Floresta is a community of makers.
Mane Silva was one of the first design-
ers to open her workshop to the public.
WHERE TO EAT up food carts at 5 p.m. to dole out tor- After studying abroad, the dancer, who
Quito’s food scene easily rivals buzzy tillas with sausage, tripe stews, and creates clothing inspired by indige-
Lima’s, but it flies under the radar. “In empanadas. At the city’s first organic nous tribes, moved back to Quito in
any major city, you’ll find Mexican, market, La Floresta Mercado Agro- search of a convivial area reminis-
Argentinian, Italian restaurants— ecológico, you can pick up produce cent of neighborhoods she saw in Bue-
but when do you see an Ecuadorian or a hearty $3 almuerzo (a custom- nos Aires and Santiago, Chile: “When I
place?” says Daniel Maldonado, chef- ary three-course lunch) from 20-plus got here, there were traditional seam-
owner at the three-year-old URKO. vendors. You’ll go to Botánica for the stresses and carpenters, but indepen-
The young chef aims to change that by artisanal panini and fig cheesecake; dent design came later, when more
championing the eco-diverse coun- you’ll stay for the ambience. The wel- of us started to move in and work
try through his kitchen, where he coming space is adorned with found together.” For ceramics, walk five min-
pulls inspiration from regional farms objects and greenery—a nod to the utes south to Perro de Loza, which
and ancestral cooking traditions. A section’s agrarian beginnings. shares space in a historic home with
more low-key approach to authen- coffee shop–bar Café Roscón. Many of
tic fare happens at Parque Navarro, the sculptor’s pieces evoke local lore,
where nearly a dozen home cooks set like dinnerware etched with figures
of regional architecture. At Libertina
LO CA L I NTE L WHAT TO DO Tienda Galería, designer Tifa Torres
GABRIEL PEREZ, QUITO ARTIST AND HOST “Much of what happens in this area gathers 18 Quito artisans—lighting
takes place behind the scenes,” says artists to jewelers to fashion design-
“La Floresta is 10 minutes from the his- Emerson Sample, founder of Quito ers—under one stylish roof. “Every
Street Tours. Get the lay of the land object has a story, and we like to share
toric center and next to the bohemian with someone in the know. The com- those with shoppers,” Torres says.
area Guápulo and La Mariscal, known pany’s La Floresta circuit offers a “That’s what La Floresta does so well—
for nightlife. Everyone passes through three-hour jaunt through the main the neighborhood has a unique iden-
La Floresta at some point, which cre- streets and workshops, where you’ll tity, so people will walk away knowing
ates an interesting meeting of minds.” learn about the district’s ­history and they got a piece of the real Quito.”

22 AIRBNBMAG • SUMMER 2018