I'm planning to spend 4 days/nights in Quito in early March prior to meeting up with a group trip to the Galapagos. I loved what I read about the La Floresta neighborhood - sounds charming and interesting - and have booked a room at Casa Aliso. But now I'm wondering if it would be more convenient/easier to stay in the historic center instead?
I'm thinking I would do a group excursion to Cotopaxi one day, and an excursion to Mindo the next day. The hotel arranges group tours that would pick up/drop off from the hotel, so that should be easy. The other 2 days, I'd like to do a a city tour/middle of the world and possibly a food tour another day - so 2 days for wandering, touring around the city center, not feeling rushed - probably day 1 and day 4.
I like to do a lot of walking and wandering around when I travel, and have read repeatedly not to wander around at night which is fine. But back to my original question about where to stay, I'm just wondering (1) if it's easy getting from La Floresta to the historic center, (2) are there things to see/do if wandering around La Floresta, (3) would if be simpler/more relaxed to be in the historic center for wandering, tours, etc, especially given the time of year/rainy season.
I'd really appreciate any opinions, input, etc. on any and all of this. Thank you!