MIAMI IN ISTANBUL

A STRANGENESS IN MY MIND

With thanks to Orhan Pamuk for borrowing the title of his fine book, I had quite the strangeness in my mind last month will walking the backstreets of Beyglu in Istanbul.

I was heading toward the Çukurcuma antiques district when I walked down a steep street past the Marina Cafe.

Something in the corner of my eye looked familiar.

It was the skyline of the Omni District of Miami, circa maybe 30 years ago.

Sure enough, a marina was prominent in the photo.

It's the marina on Biscayne Bay immediately east of the Miami Herald building and a complex of hotel-retail-mixed use.

How on earth a cafe in Istanbul -- which has its share of marinas -- in Turkey -- which has more than its share of marinas -- picked a faded photo of a marina in Miami, who knows.

Had I not been in a rush, I may have stopped in to try to find out.

Then again, my Turkish is pretty lousy and even with the google translate ap, just how would a barkeep understand my interest in a photo he probably doesn't even pay attention to?

Turns out the Miami Herald modernist headquarters building didn't die when it was razed months ago to make way for the future Genting development.

It didn't die, it just went to live, in faded color perpetuity, on Sadri Alisik Sok in Cihangir.

POIGNANT MESSAGE ON THE BACKSTREETS OF BEYOGLU, ISTANBUL

GOT $ FOR WARS, CAN'T FEED THE POOR

Paused to take a picture of a bakery opening to sell special loaves for Ramazan, when I saw this 60s-looking street art.

Wish I could share the back story, but I don't know it.

Certainly, in times of Trump and other leaders who corrupted elections to deny democracy while edging toward dictatorship, a poignant piece of art.

Ironic that it's on a street, named for a general who fought both for the Ottoman Empire and in the war of Turkish Independence.

Wonder if the artist did that on purpose, or if was just a blank wall big enough to host his political message in the form of eye-catching street art.

PUBLIC VISIONING WORKSHOP

HOSTED BY COCONUT GROVE BID


PlusUrbia Design proud to lead this visioning workshop.

Stay tuned for an action plan to improve the commercial core and beyond.

Thanks to the BID for its support.

Thanks to partners Perkins+Will and Metric Engineering.

Great turnout -- packed house for half a day!

Wonderful to see so many old friends and to make so many new ones.

Very diverse group at the workshop.

http://plusurbia.com/grovesurvey/

Hialeah TOD selected for APA Florida Award of Merit

BOUTIQUE STUDIO IN MIAMI WINS 10TH DESIGN AWARD IN TWO YEARS 

PlusUrbia Design’s vision for Transit Oriented Development (TOD) in South Florida has been selected for an American Planning Association (APA) of Florida Award of Merit in the Neighborhood Planning category.

The prestigious statewide honor recognizes the studio’s collaboration with the City of Hialeah’s Planning Department to create more than 300 acres of compact, walkable, mixed-use development connected to a pair of commuter rail stations.

The plan, unanimously approved by the City Council and fully implemented, crafted guidelines that transition two warehouse districts into vibrant communities.

The 24-hour communities create civic space, jobs and affordable/attainable housing for young professionals, empty nesters and families. Developers are already entitling land within the new guidelines.

“This couldn’t have been accomplished without the visionary leadership of Hialeah’s Mayor, Council Members and Planning Department,’’ – Maria Bendfeldt, Project Director.

“We look forward to exporting the innovations created for this project to hundreds of Florida cities that could benefit from TOD regulations and urban design for main street corridors.”

The TOD is anchored by Tri-Rail’s Market Station and Transfer Station, which also connects with Metrorail and Amtrak – enabling commuting to regional employment hubs. These new districts will increase city tax base while featuring some of the best rail connectivity in all of South Florida.

The award will be presented during APA’s statewide conference in September, in Daytona Beach – where PlusUrbia’s Juan Mullerat and Megan McLaughlin will be key presenters on healthy urban design and revitalization.

http://plusurbia.com/hialeah-tod-selected-for-apa-florida-award-of-merit/

ISTANBUL KADIKOY, NOT KARIKOY

DOs and DO NOTs

DO

Go to Kadikoy -- the best port to visit on the Asian side.

Walk less than a kilometer, to the blocks and blocks of open air markets. 

Get meze (tapas) or Lahmacun, a very flat crispy dough with minced meat on it.

You roll it up with fresh basil and salad….kinda like folding over a slice pizza in NYC. 

While in Kadikoy, find the nostalgic tram and take it to MODA. 

Moda is upper middle class families – like Park Slope and hipsters – like Williamsburg….expect everything is 1/4 the cost of NYC.  

Shop for vintage clothes, go to the tea gardens overlooking the point where the Bosphorus Straits spill into the Sea of Marmara.

DO NOT

Confuse Karikoy -- the waterfront part of Galata, which has both touristy restaurants on the water, then some of the best young chef-driven restaurants toward the former industrial port -- with Kadikoy on the Asian side.

Though both are top 12 spots to visit via ferry.

ISTANBUL FERRIES AND FAR-FLUNG THINGS

DOs and  DO NOTs

DO

Go to the Eminonu docks.

Your transportation smart card works at every ferry station.

Ferries are still a major source of transportation.

It’s like 50 Staten Island ferries all in use at the same time, honking, ringing bells, belching smoke - -what cities are about. 

The destination and time of departure is clearly listed.

You really don’t need English speaking assistance.

DO NOT

Get conned into going to the modern malls in the suburbs.

Unless your shoes break beyond repair and you really need to get a new pair at a familiar chain, there is no reason to go to the rich kid, European-leaning mega malls that start in Nisantasi, Sisli and continue halfway up through condo canyons to the Black Sea.

ISTANBUL CUISINE

DOs and DO NOTs

DO

Expect a lot more from Turkish cuisine that pita, doner kebap, hummus and similar Mediterranean/Middle East fare.

Fish, caught in the nearby Black Sea and Sea of Marmara, is divine.

Go for Turbot.

It’s not like Mediterranean Turbot.

It has sharp disks on its outer skin -- and is served whole.

But it is superior because the black sea is less salty, so the meat is more succulent.

DO NOT

Go home without going up to a (city licensed) street vendor selling street food.

Best bets:

Simits -- wider, flatter sesame seed bagels without cream cheese.

Misir -- corn on the cob, roasted or boiled.

Kestane -- chestnuts, roasted, best at night when the cool breezes drift in off the Bosphorus.