10 Reasons Why Living in the Deep West Isn’t So Bad

Why make such a list? Because after each two hour journey home from Taksim in the early hours of the morning, I have to remind myself why the hell I live all the way out in western Istanbul. I’m not saying that living this far out is in any way better than living in and around the centre. Poppycock. I had a choice between proximity to Taksim or proximity to work. I chose the latter. It was either be squashed within an inch of my life five days a week or two.

Although it is not how I imagined my Istanbul experience would be, I’ve learnt to be happy with what I’ve got. On those odd occasions when I’m not these are the things that I tell myself…

1. Peace…. We live away from the traffic and the crowds. I can walk around without having my personal space invaded. No tourism here. In a city where it’s easy to forget what personal space is, I am reminded of this luxury every time I venture to the centre. Coming home is a breath of fresh air. Almost quite literally.

2. …..and quiet. It’s quieter. The only noise I hear in my apartment is of the flat upstairs having the odd bi-monthly row at 3 o’ clock in the morning on a weekday. Other than those nocturnal nuisances we get a refreshing silence to help us get off to sleep.

3. It’s greener. There are tree lined avenues, tree lined motorways and just tons of trees in general. I like trees! Did I mention the grass to roll about in? Living in a city like this makes you appreciate any bit of green you can get. And there is a lot more of it where I live. Housing isn’t as crowded together and there is still open space that has yet to be developed. Let’s hope it stays that way…

4. Türkçe. You get to practice your Turkish. A lot. There aren’t many expats out here and there definitely aren’t any tourists. So you are forced to use your Turkish no matter how terrible it is. Turkce Bilbiyorum!? I soon got that corrected.

5. The quality of housing. There are a lot of new developments out here. And a lot of people live in sites with benefits such as a swimming pool, gym and onsite cafe. Including me. Pool party at mine anyone?

6. Cheap. All of that for less than a small old box in Cihangir. You pay for location, I pay for the metrobus, which is considerably cheaper.

7. The Marmara Sea. There are some beautiful coastlines out here. Beaches even, with real sand! The Avcılar coastline is glorious, with its promenade, rocks, park (trees!) and skate park. Yes those in the centre have the Bosphorus, but this area is quieter, more chilled, greener, less polluted and has considerably less jellyfish. And that’s just Avcılar. Beylikdüzü’s own Gürpınar is a holiday resort within Istanbul, according to the Hurriyet newspaper, Florya has a rather snazzy sandy beach and Küçükçekmece isn’t half bad either.

8. Random Winter Sports. Fancy a bit of skiing? Some snowboarding perhaps? Torium in Haramdiere has Istanbul’s only winter sports park. When you’ve suitably worn yourself out from all that indoor snow stuff, go and see a movie in the cinema there, it’s only 6 TL on weekdays.

9. Büyükçekmece. So I’ve mentioned the coastline already, but Büyükçekmece has one of the nicest beaches in Istanbul. It’s not all about the beach, though. It also has an impressive Ottoman bridge spanning a picturesque boat laden lake. The district in itself feels like a quaint seaside town that couldn’t possibly belong to Istanbul. Not to mention the art festival it plays host to every year.

10. You get a very Turkish experience out here. Seeing how the other half live and all that. People are generally very friendly and will help you out if you ever get on the wrong bus to Esenyurt. Yes I am speaking from experience.

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I know many of you people living in the centre do not feel the need to venture out. Why would you? But, if you have a hapless friend who so happens to fall within the nether regions of Istanbul, pay them a visit. You might be pleasantly surprised.

Louise McStravick is a contributor to Yabangee