Paseo de la semana. “Walk o’ the week, or, the 400 steps.” This morning, the 13^th of March, I headed off to Parque Itchimbia, home to a beautiful glass cultural center / exhibition space way up in the clouds. The route I took included a staircase of more than 400 steps built into the mountain – about 25 stories. In a perverse way it was fun going; I’m finally acclimated to the thin air and it’s time to head back down to sea level…

The center itself is a beautiful, modern, glass-walled structure that is currently housing a good exhibit of black & white photos from the 1970’s: Quito ‘back when,’ some shots of impoverished indigenous families in the outlands, and a few shots of cities like Cuenca and the suburbs of Guayaquil. There were also some shots of the right-wing parades that were happening in the late 70’s here in ECU. Viva la Revolucion!, but it didn’t really take hold here as it did elsewhere in Latin America.

Lonely Planet review for Parque Itchimbia

High on a hill east of the old town, the newly resurrected green space of Parque Itchimbia boasts magnificent views of the city. It's the perfect spot to spread out a picnic lunch, soak up the sun and take in the unobstructed 360-degree views. The park's centerpiece is the Centro Cultural Itchimbia.
Buses signed 'Pintado' go here from the Centro Histórico, or you can walk up (east) Elizalde, from where signed stairways lead to the park.

       http://www.centrocultural-quito.com/itchimbia.php?c=1467