Çays & Guys (Part 1): Exploring Winter Drinks and Online Dating...

With Valentine's Day just around the corner, scrounging up a date and finding a place to take 'em can be quite the daunting task....

Review: Red Axes Midnight Session @ Babylon Bomonti

For those who were at Bomontiada on St. Patrick's Day, you'll know it was a sloppy, high-energy affair for nearly everyone present. The holiday...

Why It’s OK to Love “The Water Diviner”

The Water Diviner, or Son Umut in Turkish, is a film about a father traveling from Australia to find his sons lost in the...

Electronica Festival Istanbul 2018: Returning to Turkey’s Electronic Behemoth

The moment you reach Kafes beach, with music blasting through the air, the gorgeous sea stretching for miles, and massive stages and structures all...

Come what may, Spoken Word Istanbul is here to stay

“There are just three rules: No Racism, no sexism, and no homophobia.” Rules? I thought this was an open-mic event. There shouldn’t be any rules. “You...

Beethoven is in the Air

2013 was a blessed year for classical music lovers and it looks like the bounty will continue on to the year 2014. Let's take...

Piano Legend Murray Perahia with BIFO

What makes a piano superstar? Two Grammy Awards in the classical music genre? Numerous Gramophones? Honorary doctorates from highly heralded universities like Duke and...

The Underground Sancaklar Mosque in Istanbul

It took us around two and a half hours to reach Sancaklar neighborhood, which lies on the outskirts of Istanbul Metropolitan City, to check out...

Ha Ha Hanımlar: All-Women Comedy Show

Even though Istanbul is a beautiful city most of us love living in; it can also be chaotic and stressful and tiring, leaving most...

Ringing in the Chinese New Year with Pop-Up Restaurant Istanbul

As to be expected, the past four years I've spent in Istanbul has seen a transition from new restaurants, new neighborhoods and the constant...

Review: Medical Phalanx of Space & Spent Ex @ Karga Bar

In a city where bars and venues, from Taksim to Beşiktaş to Kadıköy, are filled with 80s cover bands and generic DJs, it is often...

La Bayadere: Fusing Russian Composition, French Moves and Indian Sultriness

I was introduced to La Bayadere some years ago, in 2007, back in the days when the AKM -- the Ataturk Cultural Center located...

Rezan Has Museum: A Gem on the Golden Horn

The Golden Horn was of great importance during the Byzantine and Ottoman Empires. This deep, natural harbor was a strategic point to defend the...

Halloween Discount – Introducing Mitra Costume Shop: Meeting All Your Costume...

Mitra Costume Design Vintage Shop has been providing costumes (both rental and sales) since 2010 and with a constantly evolving selection of over 2,500...

Moovment Festival: An Energetic EDM Celebration in the Heart of Istanbul

Summer is slowly coming to an end. This means a few things – beach days and vacations are becoming distant memories, all the foreign...

Escapist: Real Escape Room Fun for English Speakers in Istanbul

I'd be hard pressed to think of a more wholesome group activity I've taken part in these last few years, than when a group...

Waltzing into the New Year with BIFO

Even though the Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra bid goodbye to 2013 in solemn style with its performance of Beethoven's magnificent yet weighty masterpiece Missa...

Review: Oldies But Goldies – Serious Nostalgia @ Babylon Bomonti

Saturday 26 September saw Babylon’s classic “Oldies But Goldies” night, a throwback mash-up of primarily 80s and 90s hits, making its debut at the...

Review: Mashrou’ Leila @ Bronx Pi Sahne

On Friday, Nov. 28, a group of friends and I were getting pumped for a concert in Istanbul that we had all been looking forward...

Chinese Man Brings their Sound Back to Babylon

Chinese Man dropped by Istanbul on Saturday as part of their international Shikantaza tour, which has included shows in Mexico, Canada, China, and Europe...

Running the Istanbul Marathon

I never liked running. I grew up playing tennis and to me, the long and painful sessions on the track were part of the...

Dreaming the Future: The Russian Avant-Garde Exhibition

Visiting the Sakıp Sabancı museum has been on my mind since I got to Istanbul, more because of its aesthetics than anything else. The...

Review: Incesaz @ Salon IKSV

Salon IKSV, one of our favorite stops between the neighborhoods of Galata and Şişhane, continues to bring delightful performances to their stage. Last Thursday...

Beauty and the Beast: A Fairy Tale Comes Alive

The Zorlu Center PSM kicked October off with a performance series that justly made the news, hit the papers, turned heads, and made art...