ART IMITATES LIFE

A DAILY OCCURRENCE IN ISTANBUL

Istanbul is one of my favorite cities on earth.

I've spent well more than a month total in my visits.

I can give directions to visitors, if stopped an of dozens of neighborhoods.

But I also can, rather intentionally, get "lost" wandering the back streets of Fener, Balat, Zeyrek, Hocapasa or Beyoglu.

Author Orhan Pamuk and many of his characters love walking the backstreets of Beyoglu.

I was heading from Istiklal Caddessi downhill toward Cihangir.

I was not sure if I was on the right track to the antique district.

So I pulled out my smart phone and started looking at google maps and feeding in the name of a museum and shop in the general area I wanted to arrive at.

Confident that I was on the right path, I shut down the phone.

I pulled out a bottle of water and looked up at the street art.

Looks like a traveler of a different era was doing the exact thing I was.

BEYOGLU BACKSTREETS

Istanbul, Turkey

Orhan Pamuk's Nobel-winning literature so often finds its characters on the backstreets of Istanbul.

Unfortunately, a lot of the old backstreets are being replaced with modern development.

We stumbled across this grand old vacant building just a few paces from İstiklâl Caddesi, the pedestrian spine that connects Karikoy to Taksim.

Hopefully, it will be renovated and re-energized...rather than stripped and razed.

TUMBLING OLD OTTOMAN WOODEN HOUSE

ANADOLU KAVAĞI, ISTANBUL, TURKEY

Orhan Pamuk, the great Istanbul-immersed Nobel Prize-winning author, often writes about the loss of the old wooden Ottoman houses that used to line everything from the backstreets in poor areas to privileged locations along the Bosphorus waterfront.

Fires, neglect and widespread modern development has slain many of the quaint old structures.

Here, at the port of Andadolu Kavagi, almost to the edge of the Black Sea, an old wooden house is about to tumble into the Asian side shore of the Bosphorus.

It is flanked by a careworn, but still occupied house on one side and a modernized, well cared for waterfront home on the other.

CHORA CHURCH / KARİYE MÜZESİ

FABULOUS FRESCOES IN A CHURCH WITH ROOTS BACK TO THE FOURTH CENTURY

Chora's amazing frescoes were done in the 15th century, during a third rebuilding after an earthquake.

When the church was converted to a mosque, the images were plastered over.

During a restoration, they were rediscovered.

Chora, just outside the famed Theodosian Walls, has been a museum since 1948.

VIEW OF THE BOSPHORUS

FROM TOPKAPI

Views of where the Bosphorus meets the Sea of Marmara.

Glimpses of the ancient sea walls.

The vistas are almost as beautiful as the architectural details of the palace.

A great campy crime caper bit of cinema was released the year I was born.

It features Topkapi.

Click here for more info on the Peter Ustinov Classic

OTTOMAN HOUSES NEAR CHORA CHURCH

COLORFUL WOODEN HOUSES BY CHORA CHURCH

Istanbul is still a magical place.

But it is losing many of its old wooden houses to fires, neglect and over development.

Thankfully, some architects, designers and history buffs are buying and restoring the great Ottoman-style homes.

THE LIGHT OF ISTANBUL (OVER GALATA)

Picture post car view of the Bosphorus.

The tower in the background is the Galata Tower.

The neighborhoods in the foreground include Karikoy and Tunel.

The entire peninsula between the Golden Horn and Bosphorus is known as Beyoğlu.

It is on the European side of what was Constantinople.

The area, more modern than the Old Town, is often mentioned by author Orhan Pamuk, who would take the nostalgic tram from Taksim square through Beyoğlu along İstiklâl Caddesi.

TÜRK KAHVESİ

TURKISH COFFEE DONE THE RIGHT WAY

Wood fired cooker.

Craftsman at the helm.

Chilly early fall night.

Walking the backstreets of Karikoy.

Looking at Old Town Istanbul across the Bosphorus.

Paying a few Turkish Lira for some rocket fuel.

HALLOWEEN KEDI SIYAH

BLACK CATS ARE BEAUTIFUL

And they deserve our love and special attention on Halloween.

Cartoons and scary stories are fine.

But don't let anyone hurt a black cat.

Teach your children to NEVER hurt a poor animal.

Kedi (cats) are revered in Istanbul.

People build shelters for them.

 The Kedi come up to you, expecting to be petted.

Turks put out food for them -- everywhere.

We fell in love with the Kedi of Istanbul.

We want to honor them by making sure all of our readers go out of their way to protect black cats on All Hallows Eve.

THE HUMBLE HAMAL

ISTANBUL'S STRONG BACKED PORTERS

Even in modern times, you cannot walk down a street in Istanbul without seeing a man -- sometimes a man who looks to be into his 60s -- carrying an insane about of wares on his back.

This is the Hamal.

Porter, in English.

Tom Brosnahan's outstanding book Bright Sun, Strong Tea, chronicles his dealings with Hamals when his goods arrive on the shores of the Bosphorus.

This photo shows a gray-haired Hamal carrying a relatively light load up a steep back street not far from the Spice Bazaar.

These porters work in garment districts and others areas that require large loads to be carried up narrow passageways.

This photo shows a Hamal walking past a statue memorializing the Hamal, erected by the municipality of Fatih.

LITTLE SULTAN

FIRST DAY IN ISTANBUL

After nearly 12-hour flight.

7 p.m. felt like 2 a.m. with the time change.

My gracious host Deniz took me from Hotel Niles to Sultanahmet Square.

Saw this little Ottoman Prince, or future sultan.

Posing for family in front of fountain with Ayasofya behind.

Big day for him.

But folks later told me this leads up to a painful slice of surgery done at birth to men in the western world.

Heckuva price to pay for getting to play dress up for the weekend.

DUMP TRUMP

SO I'M IN ISTANBUL, TRYING TO GET A BREATHER
FROM THE U.S. PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION...

And I'm in Eyup, looking across the magnificent Golden Horn.

Seeing great mosques and traditional architecture.

Marveling at all the cultural richness in Istanbul.

And there, jarring the historic skyline, I see it.

Trump Towers.

The guy ruins everything he touches.

Pretty damn galling to earn a hefty licensing fee from you ugly name.

In a city that is probably 90% Muslim.

Guess you can take in their dollars.

But then talk cowboy tough about banning all followers of the Islamic Faith from your Aryan Nation vision of the U.S.

What a disgrace.

What proof that money doesn't by class or grace or wisdom

Blowhard dictator. Stop barfing your KKK era vision of the past on my great nation.

GRAND BAZAAR

ISTANBUL, TURKEY

Footsteps from Hotel Niles.

Touristy.

Amazing.

Historic.

Must see.

Bought my wife's birthday jewelry from  a silversmith there.

SAFE TRAVEL TO TURKEY

THE CULTURE, PEOPLE AND UNMATCHED HOSPITALITY OF TURKEY AWAIT

Yes, the nation is under a state of emergency.

Yes, you may go through a scanner -- and put the contents of your pockets and book bag in a conveyor belt, like you do for any U.S. federal building.

You certainly don't have to like to politics of Turkey's president.

But trust us, it is safe.

The risks are few, the rewards are many.

You may be headed to the ancient Spice Market.

When you see a colorful vendor.

Selling an array of Turkish flags.

Some featuring Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.

He was Turkey's first president.

He treasured democracy.

He championed women's rights.

FENER OR BALAT?

BOTH ARE UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITES

As old as Istanbul itself, these ancient neighborhoods that huge the Golden Horn are funky, historic, human scaled and in danger of gentrification.

WHY CAN'T WE ALL GET ALONG?

A MESSAGE OF LOVE FROM ISTANBUL

It's a Moslem woman. Donald Trump and other right wing reactionary crazies have told me all I need to know. She's up to no good. She hates America, Christianity and small animals. She probably has a suicide bomb under that hijab.

This can't end well. Poor little cat. This Moslem monster will probably twist its head off and drink its blood in some kind of Godless ritual.

But wait. She seems to be gently petting the little creature. Like the millions of strays on the streets of Istanbul, this sweet purring kedi is getting affection. The locals, an overwhelming majority of whom are Moslem, are famous for being kind to animals. A recent award-winning film documented the uncommon kindness shown to stray cats in Istanbul.

So maybe Trump and the bigoted people who would ban Moslems from entering our nation of immigrants and otherwise demonize followers of one of the major religions of the world are out of their mind. Or maybe they simply cannot do math. Maybe they never learned that a tiny fraction of evil people who kill and maim in the name of Islam are just that -- a tiny fraction who are not emblematic of the peaceful overwhelming majority.

Let's face it. If a small fraction of monsters automatically tainted everyone from the much larger group, then Oklahoma City bomber terrorist (and bronze star-awarded military veteran) Timothy McVeigh's actions would mean we should ban all military vets from air travel and perhaps round them up in internment camps. But that would be insane. Just as insane as broadly defining all observant, loving, family-oriented Moslems as evil simply because a small fraction who allegedly share their core religion have misused it as an excuse for bombings.

So maybe this gentle woman, giving unconditional love to a little cat wandering the marbled and magnificent grounds of the Eyup Sultan Mosque, is more typical of Moslems. Maybe, if we worked daily to remove hate from the world, we could appreciate others. Maybe should try harder to teach our fellow Americans that someone whose religious garb is different is NOT a terrorist, evil doer or person to fear.

Sorry bigots, fanners of the flame and embracers of hate. I reject your venom. I respect all peaceful people. I thank the heavens above that I have a brain capable of recognizing statistical outliers -- so I don't brand every person of an identifiable group because of the malicious actions of a tiny few.

I see this Moslem woman for what she is: a loving fellow human being, taking time out of her busy day to give nurturing kindness to a cuddly critter. Maybe we could all try a little harder to coexist.

TURKEY TRAVEL PLANNER

EXPERT ADVICE, WRITTEN BEAUTIFULLY ON AN ENCHANTING WEBSITE

My travel writing friend and colleague Tom Brosnahan has created the most delightful site.

It may not be as flashy and graphically-oriented as some sites, but TurkeyTravelPlanner.com
delivers pure steak -- when other sights barely deliver the sizzle.

Tom has been to Turkey so many times, he should be able to run for office.

His expertise on Istanbul alone is worthy of Hall of Fame honors as an informative sharer of practical information.

Before the events of July 15, I began planning a trip to Istanbul.

There is no shortage of online information about the historic and fabled city.

Read Orhan Pamuk's autobiographical book on his beloved city and you will want to book the next flight on Turkish Airlines.

I research and write about travel all the time, so I think I'm a pretty good finder of facts and hidden secrets.

Let's just say, I barely knew the European side of the Bosphorus from the Asian, nor the Sea of Marmara from the Golden Horn...until I stumbled upon Tom's site.

I'll write more in the coming days.

But I truly don't have words grand enough to endorse this site.

It has the basics, it has the quirky, it has the practical.

Links are logical and allow you to expand from the basics on the Hamam (Turkish Bath) to learning the lowdown on the famous, most expensive, most beautifully-designed and most inexpensive local facilities.

I quite possibly could have, even after my savvy research, been staying on a noisy street, surrounded by tourists and paying $150 per night more for a relatively cookie cutter lodging.

Through Tom's site, I found a place that is well-located, in more authentic surroundings, operated by a family legendary for hospitality expertise and booking for a nightly price that will just about pay for my airfare in savings vs. staying at a chain hotel.

TurkeyTravelPlanner.com has this kind of in-depth information on the entire nation, not just Istanbul.

Even if you have no immediate plans to see the great mosques, museums, vistas and people...Tom's site will over some of the most-entertaining armchair travel you've ever found yourself lost (that's a good thing) in.

click to visit the Istanbul section of Turkey Travel Planner