Jan 30th, 2012 at 9:00AM:
Ali found me lingering on the corner of Christopher St. and Seventh Ave. S. in the West Village. Before I recently moved out of the neighborhood I'd spent eight years hailing cabs in this very spot. But no ride was probably ever as unusual (or short) as this one.
He laughed when he heard my request. That I wanted him to take me to lunch; to take me the place where he goes. I reminded him ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
Turkish posts
Culinary Cab Confessions: New York City edition
Jan 30th, 2012 at 9:00AM:
Ali found me lingering on the corner of Christopher St. and Seventh Ave. S. in the West Village. Before I recently moved out of the neighborhood I'd spent eight years hailing cabs in this very spot. But no ride was probably ever as unusual (or short) as this one.
He laughed when he heard my request. That I wanted him to take me to lunch; to take me the place where he goes. I reminded him ...Photo of the Day: Smoked Turkish cheese
Jan 5th, 2012 at 6:00PM:
It used to be a common expression to say that someone "smoked like a Turk," and I can confirm after living in Istanbul for nearly two years, Turks still love their smoking. Even after the indoor smoking ban of 2009, cigarettes and nargile (water pipes) are very common here. This portrait by Flickr user MichaelAV captures two of the Turks' other loves: çay (see the tiny tea glass on the ...Send a holiday greeting from above the clouds
Dec 30th, 2011 at 4:00PM:
Procrastinated on sending Christmas cards this year? It's not too late to send a holiday greeting to say "Happy New Year" (or Mutlu Yillar in Turkish) with a travel theme. Turkish Airlines has a fun website for generating a virtual holiday greeting with a view of the wing. On Above the Clouds, you can choose a cloud image like a snowflake, Christmas tree, or angel and add a brief message ...Expat fusion cuisine: combining foreign foods with favorites from home
Oct 14th, 2011 at 9:00AM: Part of the fun of traveling is trying new and exotic foods. Many travelers try to eat only locally and eschew the familiar, though eating at American chain restaurants abroad can be its own experience. But when you make a foreign country your home, you have to adapt your tastes and cooking to what's available locally while craving your favorites from home. I'm lucky enough to live in Istanbul ...Bathing with strangers: what to expect at a Turkish hammam
Sep 27th, 2011 at 11:00AM:
In Turkey, one of the quickest ways to break the ice is to get naked in a room full of strangers. I'm talking, of course, about visiting the hammam. The hammam, or Turkish bath, has been around since the ancient Romans ruled much of Anatolia, and flourished during the Ottoman Empire, when baths were built in almost every city to address both public hygiene as well as provide a place for ...Ramazan pide: a Turkish tradition
Aug 14th, 2011 at 12:00PM: We're halfway through the month of Ramadan (called Ramazan in Turkish), an important time for religious Muslims but also a time of many celebrations. Turkey is a largely secular country, thanks to founder Ataturk, who brought the country out of the Ottoman Empire into the modern world 90 years ago, and many Turks do not observe the fasting but do enjoy many of the traditions associated with ...Turkish tea truck offers Istanbul version of food truck trend
Jul 22nd, 2011 at 9:00AM: The food truck craze is nothing new to many Americans. Long a popular foodie option in New York, Los Angeles, and even Cleveland, it's a food trend that's constantly evolving to bring new ideas and tastes to the, er, table. The Turkish food blog Istanbul Eats, who launched a book version last year and now offer food tours of the city, spotted a very local version of the mobile eatery trend along ...Knocked up abroad: baby shopping in a foreign country
Jun 21st, 2011 at 1:00PM:
Knocked up abroad has been on a bit of a hiatus as my travel schedule has slowed and the due date has sped up. Feel free to catch up with posts on pregnancy travel, Turkish superstitions, medical care, and naming children.
I'm into the final month of my pregnancy in Istanbul and that means the countdown is on to get stocked up with wee tiny baby things, garishly colored toys and furniture, ...VIDEO: Istanbul in 1967
Jun 6th, 2011 at 11:00AM:
As an expat in Istanbul, I enjoy seeing anything Turkey-related, and this vintage video of the former Constantinople is especially fun to see. Narrated by a droll British commentator, you travel over and around Istanbul, checking out some of the big sights such as Hagia Sofia and the Blue Mosque, as well as life on the Bosphorus before the bridges were constructed to provide alternate access ...
Knocked up abroad: foreign baby names in a foreign country
Apr 15th, 2011 at 12:00PM: Just arrived? Read more about pregnancy in a foreign country, Turkish prenatal care, travel in the first trimester, and Turkish superstitions on Knocked up abroad.
"Whatever you do, if it's a girl, don't call her Natasha," was the first bit of advice a Turkish friend gave me about having a baby in Istanbul. While a common and inoffensive name in the US and Russia, in Turkey and many other ...Knocked up abroad: Turkish superstitions on pregnancy and children
Mar 30th, 2011 at 2:00PM: Being pregnant in a foreign country, even as a traveler, gives you a unique perspective into a culture, their beliefs and practices, and values. While I've been in Istanbul, I've found Turkish superstitions to apply to all aspects of life, pregnancy and children no exception. Over the past six months, I've heard a lot of interesting customs and beliefs, some of them wackier than others. Turks love ...Retail therapy: Istanbul ShoppingFest begins March 18
Mar 16th, 2011 at 3:30PM: Every year, many people visit Istanbul to shop in the historic Grand Bazaar to haggle over carpets, Turkish tea glasses, and souvenir t-shirts. But most locals do their shopping in Istanbul's many malls, markets, high streets like Istiklal near Taksim Square and Bağdat on the Asian side, and neighborhoods such as posh Nişantaşı and funky Çukurcuma. This year, from March 18 to April 26, ...Knocked up abroad: pregnant travel in the first trimester
Mar 16th, 2011 at 11:30AM: For more on pregnant travel, see parts 1 and 2 of Knocked up abroad: pregnancy in a foreign country here and here.
There's no question that having a baby changes you: your body, your lifestyle, even your shoe size. One thing I hoped not to change altogether was traveling, as long as it was reasonably safe and comfortable for me and the baby. From the beginning of my pregnancy in Istanbul, my ...Knocked up abroad: getting pregnant in a foreign country
Feb 16th, 2011 at 2:30PM: My first clue that something was different came when I woke up one night on vacation in Kiev at 3am, proceeded to eat 3 slices of toast with caviar spread, went back to bed and woke up a few hours later wondering if they made blueberry muffins in Ukraine (tragicially, they do not). That "time of the month" hadn't happened but flying tends to always mess with your body, so I didn't give it much of ...Controversy over new Turkish Airlines spokesman Kobe Bryant
Dec 16th, 2010 at 12:30PM: In order to promote the upcoming new Los Angeles-Istanbul flights, the new Turkish Airlines spokesman Kobe Bryant has prompted some protest in the Armenian American community. Turkey (as well as the United States) does not recognize the death of 1.5 million Armenians at the end of Turkey's Ottoman Empire as genocide. 700,000 Armenian Americans in California are hoping Bryant will use his stature ...Istanbul transit fares increased
Nov 3rd, 2010 at 3:30PM: Travelers visiting Istanbul this winter will pay extra to get around on public transportation. The transit authority has just put a fare hike in effect on the trams, metro, bus, and ferry lines, the first in a year and a half.
A single-leg token (jeton) will now cost 1.75 TL (about ($1.25), up from 1.50, but Akbil (smart ticket) carriers will pay 1.65 TL and .85 TL for transfers. Ferries ...Beyond the kebab: Foodie blog Istanbul Eats now in print
Jul 28th, 2010 at 11:30AM:
Last night in Istanbul, a side street in the Galata neighborhood on the European side of town was packed with people eating Turkish street food such as çiğ köfte, salted cucumbers, and börek pastries, and drinking cold Efes beers and Turkish wines. The occasion was the publication of the book Istanbul Eats: Exploring the Culinary Backstreets,
a compilation of food and ...Weekending: Beirut
Jul 23rd, 2010 at 12:00PM:
One of the best things about life as an expat in Turkey is easy access to Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, with many previously far-flung destinations only a few hours' flight away. I might not plan a week-long vacation in, say, Kosovo, but if I can be there for Friday happy hour and home Monday morning, why not? My main criteria for choosing weekend trips are easy access, no advance visa ...Israeli mayor suggests Gaza flotilla become hotel
Jul 21st, 2010 at 12:00PM: After the deadly May flotilla raid off the Gaza coast in Israel, the Turkish Mavi Marmara vessel has been docked and held in the city of Haifa, where it awaits an internal investigation. While Turkish authorities are demanding the return of the ship, Haifa Mayor Yona Yahav is advocating for the ship to be converted into a floating hotel. Yahav hopes it can be "an international symbol of ...Turkish smoking ban? Your survival plan
Apr 19th, 2009 at 1:00PM: I never thought I'd have to write about a smoking ban in Turkey. It just struck me as one of a handful of locations that would never extinguish the flame. But, on July 19, the impossible will come to pass.
In part, it exists already. Since May of last year, smoking has not been permitted in Turkish taxes, malls, offices and ferries. Of course, the prohibition does not seem to have been taken ...
