ISTANBUL

Absolutly PERFECT beans and great location. Make sure to avoid the water pipe bars next to it! http://www.fasuli.com.tr/

My favorite bar! http://www.ottoistanbul.com/#?page_id=552 the small Otto (kücük means small) Order FINDIKLI VODKA ! The other Ottos are nice too, the one at Santral istanbul http://www.ottoistanbul.com/#?page_id=548 is worth a visit! They have events and concerts there… so does Tamirane http://www.tamirane.com/#/tamirane , another restaurant on the campus. That’s where I did my shoot for ELLE turkey by the way!… but the whole super modern Campus in a whole other part of town than what you usually see, is, if you have a couple more days, def worth visiting! http://www.santralistanbul.org/main/index/

Where the yummy restaurant of Babylon used to be, now NUBLU Istanbul (closed! see below for update) opened it’s doors http://www.nubluistanbul.net/ . Babylon is a great live venue too, it’s right next to it, but closed in summer http://www.babylon.com.tr/.

I love just sitting outside of Lokal and having a lemonade, watching the lovely Tünel Square, before I then take a left down the music store street Galip Dede Caddesi (Caddesi means street! If you walk further all the way down, without leaving out the Galata Tower on the way of course, you will reach KARAKÖY from where you can take a ferry to Asia (see below) or cross the bridge to the golden horn with all the sights.

If you take a right down İlk Belediye Caddesi you will find my friends lovely new Tapas Bar www.quetalbar.com !

These two places have a lovely view over the city, check it out for cocktails (specially the 360), as food is pricy and, well…how should I put it… the turkish original beans are much better! www.360istanbul.com (great old building!) and smaller and in a not so pretty hotel building but with an even better view Lebi Derya: http://www.lebiderya.com/richmond/eng/2_2_index.html

If you want to discover all the little streets around the main street Istiklal Caddesi, take a left with Taksim square behind you and visit Beyoğlu’s Çukurcuma neighborhood, like Faik Paşa Caddesi and Çukurcuma Caddesi, not far from Galatasaray Square to find great antique and vintage stores! I like Yeni Carsi Caddesi for a stroll down to get to those streets, mainly because of Lazy Boutique! LAZY ISTANBUL Yeniçarşı cad. 9/A,Galatasaray,Beyoğlu. All easy to find with a map, google and your smartphone ☺

Wanna see a faaaancy part of town? Go here and eat a yummy burger and go window shopping in Nistantasi: http://dukkanistanbul.com/dukkan_nisantasi.asp

Also for those with more time on their hands… go to BEBEK, a beautiful part of town… take a taxi if you can and have a look on the amazing old wooden houses along sea… a bit pricy but still def worth seeing! Eat with a view and nice interior: http://www.mangeriebebek.com/ and see and be seen at Lucca with Cocktails, with a reputation that even reached America…  http://www.luccastyle.com/ And buy the best and most delicate BEBEK (which by the way means baby) marzipan for your loved ones at home!

Wanna go out? Go here and meet the crowd at KIKI http://kiki.com.tr/eng/

Want traditional food? Here you go: Yakup 2 restaurant: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=yakup+Asmali+Mescit+Mah.+35-37,+Istanbul&aq=&sll=41.073856,28.935946&sspn=0.009479,0.018346&ie=UTF8&hq=yakup+Asmali+Mescit+Mah.+35-37,&hnear=Istanbul,+Turkey&ll=41.031052,28.977556&spn=0.009081,0.018346&z=16&iwloc=A&cid=11155824250807051493

An my absolut MUST. Proper turkish breakfast!! Çakmak Kahvaltı Salonu http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Çakmak+Kahvaltı+Salonu,+Çelebi+Oğlu+Sokak,+Istanbul,+Türkiye&aq=1&sll=41.043554,29.006138&sspn=0.075869,0.14677&ie=UTF8&hq=Çakmak+Kahvaltı+Salonu,&hnear=Sinanpaşa+Mh.,+Çelebi+Oğlu+Sk,+Istanbul,+Turkey&z=16&iwloc=A&cid=12888755565559462528

well, I will in the end mention some sights…. But google them yourself! Go SEE: Hagia Sofia, The Basilica Cistern (Yerebatan, not build for the goldfish as a guide once told an american tourist group), the Blue Mosque, The Galata Tower (go up if the queue is not mental), Ortaköy Mosque is very pretty and has little funny shops sourrounding it and of course go to the Grand Bazaar (Kapali Carsi)!

And if you have loooads of time… do this:

…you want to head over to Asia, the more residental areas… take a ido http://www.ido.com.tr/en/index.cfm ferry from KARAKÖY to KADIKÖY and have a tea and a cift kasarli toast on board. You will pass Haydarpasa Station (see below for update) on the boat… built 1908 by two German architects; an absolutly beautiful monument. Unfortunatly a fire destroyed parts in 2010 … suspicious to some, as Istanbul authorities previously suggested a major architectural transformation project … Go shopping on Bagdat Caddesi and THEN go see the most beautiful house ever! Go to Migros (a chain supermarket) and walk down to the sea… on your right it is. It’s massive, white and beautiful. http://maps.google.de/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=de&geocode=&q=migros+caddebostan+istanbul&sll=40.964961,29.060447&sspn=0.008782,0.018239&g=ragip+pasa+korusu+istanbul&ie=UTF8&hq=migros+caddebostan&hnear=Istanbul,+T%C3%BCrkei&ll=40.969433,29.059653&spn=0.017563,0.036478&z=15&iwloc=A&cid=6350806045839804192

 

Copy/Paste UPDATE*IST**Copy/Paste UPDATE*IST**Copy/Paste UPDATE*IST

- NUBLU Istanbul is closed, it’s BABYLON LOUNGE again

- the tables and chairs to sit outside in the vibrant nightlife district of Asmalimescit are GONE! Taken away by the Municipality! FORBIDDEN! This is not only outrageous, but it will also ruin the small business and eventually make room for big cooperate government affiliated companies. Istanbul will die if this happens. So if you happen to travel to Istanbul, make sure to look out for local cafes, bars and restaurants like Otto, Local, Kulp, ROOK (at Sishane) and Quetal, Asmali Cavit (good meyhane), Zeytinli (also a meyhane), Helvetia (good pan food, home stlye, no credit card or alcohol though) and Yakup. Don’t be fooled by the bling-bling and polished appeal of chains. Don’t take Istanbul’s soul!

- And for the first time I got a look at the damages on the historic HAYDARPASA train station (see picture). The roof mysteriously caught fire a little over a year ago during renovations. Before the renovations started there were talks of plans by the officials to alter the function and purpose of the building (and the whole area with it in fact) and possibly it’s inside structure, which triggered protests. The company conducting the roof repairs that followed is owned by a former local official with the ruling party AKP. The papers wrote Istanbul’s heart is burning when this happened, mine was at least when I saw it. Let’s hope it will be restored to its original state.