Herzog & de Meuron in Mexico: the Guadalajara contemporary art museum

After plans for a Guggenheim museum fell through, officials in Guadalajara announced last December that starchitects Herzog & De Meuron (of Tate Modern in London, the Young Museum in San Francisco and Bird's Nest in Beijing fame) will design the new Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, which is expected to be ready by 2012. 

Over six acres of land will house the museum, which not only show works by famous Mexican artists but will also collaborate with contemporary artists  to create new works. Officials hope it will position Guadalajara as a cultural destination.

The museum will be perched atop the Huentitan Canyon, an ecological reserve on the Santiago River.

Orozco murals are the main draw at Guadalajara's Instituto Cabañas

The Instituto Cultural Cabañas, an ex-orfanage in the Old Downtown of Guadalajara, is quite beautiful and has been declared part of Unesco's Heritage of Humanity.

Stone arches shade the long courtyards, and the place is used often for offical functions (Obama attended one recently).

The night I was there, local beauties paraded in folkloric dress:

The famed Orozco murals, more aggressive than beautiful, depicting a hellish scene, line the domed ceilings of where the chapel used to be. Armed guards made me leave my camera at the entrance so I had to settle for a little video make surrepticiously, so sorry about the shaken footage...

Guadalajara's Old Downtown: a photo tour

Don't get me wrong: Guadalajara is far from the first city I'd recommend anyone spending time in. Most of it is kind of ugly, the traffic is bad, and... well... I just didn't really love it. Having said that, the Old Downtown is quite beautiful, its churches and government buildings impressive and imposing and a bit European-looking. Oh, and did I mention the thousands of stores selling cheap gold and silver jewelry? :)

In short, don't make Guadalajara your final destination, but by all means do stop there for a night or two and spend time wandering the old streets.

San Juan de Dios market in Guadalajara, one of the biggest in Mexico

Large is an understatement: the San Juan de Dios market in Guadalajara is paradise for foodies like myself, where you could get lost for hours exploring a million herb, spice, fruit and veg vendors. The best part? The enormous "food court" on the second floor, with restaurant after restaurant serving the most incredible food (mostly Mexican, but also Chinese, Japanese, you name it!). The market's official official website says:

“Originally created as a meeting place for merchants in 1590. Has 40,000 square meters of floor space. It's a traditional market selling articrafts from Jalisco and other states. Among the goods on offer are shirts, hats of all kinds, shoes of all styles, jewelry, articles of the home, etc."

Oh, and did we mention they sell birds, too?

And sweets for the Dia de los Muertos:

Deliciously ripe fruit-in-a-cup:

And food in all its glory!

Delicious sandwiches (tortas) of pulled pork, mayo, shredded lettuce and tomato.

Carne en su jugo stew, absolutely delicious and fresh.

Faux Gucci e Louis Vuitton for 10 bucks? No problemo!

Toys, shirts, embroidered everything...

Intercontinental Hotel in Guadalajara: a rare corporate hotel with personality

This blog is not a fan of chains. Holiday Inn? Day's Inn? Best Western? Thanks, but no thanks.

That's why we were very happily surprised when we checked in at Guadalajara's Intercontinental hotel. A chain hotel that actually has a hip vibe and personality, who knew?!

We loved the streaked marble and the bege sectional couches in the lobby, which has a calming vibe.

We loved the smartly designed white lacquer furniture in the room - especially the oversize drawers perfect for keeping messes out of sight.

The desk was pretty cool, too, with a plug dock and a skinny light above, and high-end ergonomic swivel chair.

Nice splashes of colour on the incredibly plush king-size bed:

iPod dock by the bed, of course…

And a floor-to-ceiling glass wall that revealed the city's skyline, pretty when all lit up.

Huge bath with granity vanity and shower:

Oh, and they deliver free coffee to your room in the morning, and offer 2-for-1 margueritas at the lobby bar at happy hour.

What's not to like?