one day on the glass and steel edge of Mexico City Modernism

A reader requested a one day trip to visit the highlights of "innovative contempory architecture" in Mexico City, and it made me think about what I've seen here (and about what I've missed). Please keep in mind, this is mostly compiled "if memory serves" and its always beneficial to double check hours of operation. In general, most museums in Mexico City are closed mondays. Typically, most places are only open from 9 or 10 am until 6 or 7pm. Given the amount of time it takes to get around this city, even if you're going by taxi, you're going to have to move quickly through these places. I've organized the tour in a rough arc which sweeps up from Tlalpan/Coyoacan in the south to Polanco, to Buenavista, and finally arcing back to end in the Centro Historico.

Most places don't open until 10am in Mexico, so take the time to eat a good breakfast or a leisurely coffee. If you're in a mid-century modern kind of mood, there's an unpretentious and quite good vegetarian cafe on Reforma near the Angel called Yug which serves up Mexican breakfasts in the gound floor of a 1950's apartment building by Mario Pani. Or grab a coffee from Starbucks or Celito Lindo in the steel and glass mall Reforma 222 by Teodoro Gonzales Leon. Really, there is a plethora of high-design coffee shops and bars all throughout the hip/bohemian colonias- Centro Historico, Roma, Condesa, Polanco.

It is almost a requirement for visiting architects to visit at least one work by the master of Mexican Modernism Luis Barragan, and the most accessible (and cheapest) is the Chapel and Convent of the Capuchinas Sacramentarias in Tlalplan. You don't need a reservation, although it's helpful to have one since they're only open during the weekdays between 10am and noon, and then from 4-6pm. It's about 60 pesos and takes about an hour for a Sister to guide you through. Tlalpan is on the far southern edge of the city, and although its pretty, if you want to limit yourself to works within the last decade, you can take it as read.

Next stop is a quick spin by MUAC, the museum of contemporary art in the south campus of UNAM, the national university. This building was one of the latest works by the incredibly prolific Mexican modernist Teodoro Gonzales de Leon, and is a work of minimalist glass and concrete set on top of a lava field.

Farther north on the northern edge of Coyoacan, check out (at least the exteriors) of the Cineteca Nactional and the Centro Cultural Roberto Cantoral. The former is a bunch of movie theaters showing independent and foreign films (excluding Hollywood) and the latter is a new concert hall. They're right next door to each other. Although I havn't yet been to see them, they're next on my personal list of recent projects.

Take a half hour stroll through the outdoor Monument to the Victims of Violence in Chapultapec park. It's on Reforma, past the national auditorium and the campo militar polo grounds. It's both severe and serene at the same time.

If you're hungry at this point (and you probably will be) you can stop for lunch at the Camino Real by protege of Barragan, Legoretta, on the edge of Polanco. Expensive, but considered to be a fantastic example of Legoretta's work.

Or if you´re in the mood for something a little more contemporary, grab a bite at the trendy rooftop bar of Condesa DF, a sleekly remodeled and minimalist hotel in the center of Condesa.

Moving on to cultural district of Polanco, you have many examples of some wild and expensive architecture that's so new, some of them aren't even open yet. The Mueso Soumaya by Fernando Romero is definitely worth a visit (free) although really only the first two levels (and the hexagonal tiled hyperbolic exterior) are interesting architecturally. Next door, take a photo or two of the amazing steel canopy of the yet-unfinished underground Cervantes Theater and look across the street to shoot the exterior of the David Chipperfield designed Collection Jumex which is due to open later this year. For a nice example of high-design meets high-fashion, take a look at the curving canyon of cantilevered glass at the Centro Comercial Antares which is right behind the Jumex, which from the various catwalks and wood decks, frames the new contemporary architecture going up all around it.

Don't linger too long here, because you need to get to the Biblioteca José Vasconcelos, which is my favorite new building in Mexico City. It's an unbelievable, massive, jaw-dropping building, essentially a national library where they took away the floors and left the shelves suspended in space. This place is open until 7:30pm most nights.

Almost done, continue the trip westward to the Centro Cultural de España, another new building which I have not yet visited, but on my list. Located in the heart of the central historico, literally up against the Aztec ruins of the Templo Mayor and contrasting with the ancient palaces, it contains exhibition spaces, galleries, and I believe also a museum of the city. This center closes at 6 typically.

From the centro cultral de Espana, it's a short walk across the Zocalo to the hotel Downtown Mexico. This is a modern remodel of one of the old palaces, and a delightful contrast between the preserved ancient building and the minimalist interventions inside. Skip the high end tourist boutiques and designer chocolate stores, and eat at the Azul Historico in the center. It's less of an architectural recommendation (although a wonderful place to eat) and more of a "best restaurant experience you will have in Mexico City" recommendation. Also go up to the swanky roof bar with views of the palaces lit up at night, although you may want to pass on their 60 peso domestic beers.