Quito for 3 days - Things to do
 

Hey, I booked tickets to Quito for 4th of July weekend.

Day 0: Late evening red eye from LAX
Day 1: Old town
Day 2: Teleferico and equator?
Day 3: TBD?
Day 4: QIO - MEX - LAX

While in Quito, I plan to visit Teleférico and hike up there and the site of equator.

Any suggestions for any side trips on Day 3? I did consider taking a bus to Banos but it doesn't seem to make sense with my time line, does it?

I am open to rearranging my day-to-day itinerary as well.

I'd like to try cuy as well while in Quito. Any suggestions on places/restaurants?

I'm going to follow along and see what suggestions you got as I expect to visit Quito next year. This is the list I have so far, very similar to what you've already sorted out:

Colonial district
Otovalo Market
Equator Museum (Mitad del Mundo)
Guayasamin Museum
teleferico trip to the top of the volcano

Sorry, I have no information to provide. Like Sr. SanDiego, I'm thinking of an end of December visit to Quito and so following this thread to get advice from others.

Modern GPS measurements have shown that Mitad del Mundo does not sit at the equator. In the obligatory photo that everyone has taken of them straddling the painted line there, they are actually standing entirely in the southern hemisphere. You can visit the true equator at a site called Intinan, a short distance away.

Much Ado About Nothing at the Equator

I just came back from visiting the Museo Solar Inti Nan. It is quite nice, well curated and maintained and the guides are good. I found it to be not nearly as "touristy" as the Smithsonian article infers and includes many examples of how pre- and post-colonial native people lived. If it is "touristy" it is probably because it is privately owned/operated. It takes about 45 minutes and is worth the couple of bucks to visit.

They also take no small measure of delight in the mistake the French made when constructing the monument for the government a few hundred feet away....

I was in Quito back in November. If you like walking I suggest a walk up the steps to El Panecillo. Parque Itchimbia is interesting.

If somebody bumps into this thread looking for info, here is what I did:

Day 1: Mitad del Mundo and El Panecillo (take a cab for $5 from Mariscal area, else, you'll have to walk throgh the sketchy neighborhood)

Day 2: TeleferiQo - I hiked up to the summit. Probably was a dumb move to do it on day 2 since I was at sea level (SBA) 2 days back. But, hey, I am 25. Started super early and was down by 1ish (or 2ish) and spent the afternoon in old town

Day 3: Organized day trip to Quilatoa lagoon (with a stop in Otovalo Market) booked from hostel for $45

My days in Quito were packed. But hey, it was better than spending the 4 day weekend in crowded SBA. I did budget backpacking and stayed in El Hostelito backpackers hostel. I totally recommend it if some body looking for cheap backpackers' accommodation.

Overall, Quito was muy bien although my Español is poqito. Safe travels!

How was safety in Quito? I always hear about how "dangerous" it is, but I suspect that the American media is blowing it out of proportion (like they do with almost everything else).

Safer than Down town Los Angeles.

Jokes apart, I felt safe walking around the city around and after sunset. Of course, there are neighborhoods near El Panecillo which are better avoided at dark. Knowing (and speaking) Spanish helps. Its certainly not as bad as our media makes it to be.

EDIT: I even asked a cop for direction once. He was happy to help.

Would recommend a trip to Otavalo Market. A bit touristy, but safe, and many bargains to be bought, especially alpaca knitwear, etc. Otavalo is a nice small town.

Another suggestion is a trip to Cotopaxi volcano, subject to weather, as sometimes it is foggy.