are famous for their production of succulent fruits, including peaches, pears, and a local variety of citrus. Ficoa is also home to many small restaurants which serve typical Ambateño dishes, such as llapingachos, and fritada. Miraflores Traditionally considered the most influential neighborhood, Miraflores abuts the downtown on the west side. Miraflores used to be the location of the train depot, connecting it with the city of Quito and giving it a very important position in the city. Without a passenger train through Ambato, Miraflores is now a residential neighborhood, so named because of its many flowers. Atocha Perhaps the oldest of Ambato's neighborhoods, Atocha is famous for being the home to the Quinta Juan León Mera and thus, being an important part of Ambateño and Ecuadorian culture. Together with Ficoa, Atocha makes up the north end of the city. Atocha is also known for the production of colada morada, a purple, spiced drink that is traditionally consumed with bread. Around Carnival, Ambateños flock to Atocha for the drink. Ingahurco Small quiet neighborhood in Ambato, home to the industrial corporation Plasticaucho Industrial S.A. Ambato's bus terminal is located in Ingahurco which sits right next to Technical University of Ambato (Universidad Tecnica de Ambato). Transportation As an important transportation hub, Ambato is connected with other cities through Ecuador's widely used bus system. Although there used to be a train service running through Ambato from Quito to Riobamba, this service has long since closed. Ambato has an airport, the Chachoan Airport in the Izamba neighborhood, but it is not used for commercial flights. The city's main bus terminal is located in the Ingahurco neighborhood, which lies on the north side of downtown. This main terminal, or Terminal Terrestre (as it is known in Spanish), serves some of the country's numerous bus operators. There are plans to renovate the aging bus terminal, making it the main terminal in a network of terminals around the city. As it stands, travelers can also catch buses traveling to the south from unlabeled stops along the Pan-American Highway. Education Universidad Técnica de Ambato The main public university in Ambato, "la Técnica" or "la U" was created on April 18, 1969, in accordance with Ecuadorian law. A technical university, la Técnica offers courses in the many fields of the sciences and humanities. There are three campuses located in Ambato: the main campus is located across from the main bus