Take 5: Beşiktaş
After living in Beşiktaş for about three years, on and off, I’ve come to realize that it is regarded as a hate or love...
An Evening with Washed Out @ Salon IKSV
For someone who created a musical project whose aesthetic has been adopted by hipsters around the world, Washed Out's Ernest Greene has about as...
Ask an Expat: Dirk Vermeiren
Meet Dirk Vermeiren, a transplant from Belgium and one of the hosts of the popular radio program SOUL SENDIKASI - in Turkish, no less!
Why did...
BaBa ZuLa’s Good Time Vibes at Salon IKSV
I’m going to let you in on a little secret. It has taken me over two years of wanting but failing to make proactive...
ATÖLYE Spotlight: In Conversation with Ece Çiftçi – Illustrator &...
Finding one's true calling is a daunting prospect, with experiences along the way ultimately lending themselves to a deeper understanding and satisfaction. Ece Çiftçi...
Review: Ada’m in Bozcaada
Oh, that dish! What dish? I’ll come to that in a minute. First, a bit of background: My family and I were on a...
Review: Buika @ Cemil Topuzlu Open-Air Theater
Summer of 2016 has been a sad one for those of us who waited so long to see some of our favorite artists live...
Anatolian Travel Archives: Aphrodisias
In a vast, seemingly endless field near the village of Geyre, west of Denizli, the white marble structures of Aphrodisias seemed to glow hauntingly...
Letters from Istanbul: The Ballad of Angry Çetin
We all have those people who drift in and out of our lives, and years later, we find ourselves musing about them, wondering whatever...
Arrested as a Spy, Caught in a Major Earthquake, & More:...
We've all been there, haven't we? You are in a foreign country and some strangers approach you.
You immediately think: "Whatever they are they selling,...
In Conversation with Food Blogger Jolita Koruklu
An enthusiastic food blogger, writer, cook, mother and wife... is she a super woman? You might call her that, or you can simply call her...
Walk Across Turkey: Breaking Free From Eğirdir
Monday and Tuesday, 8 and 9 October
I enjoyed the pension at Eğirdir so much that several days when my week’s vacation was finished, I...
People Upon the Lips of the Sea: A Look Back at...
“How should one enter the sea? In our country, men use breechcloths and pants for sea bathing. If we are to choose one of...
Letter from Istanbul: My Own Private Venice … In Sultangazi
For those of you who haven’t been there, Sultangazi sits on the furthermost outskirts of Istanbul, out near the highway that heads up to...
Review: Yuri Bashmet and the Moscow Soloists @ IKSV Music Festival
Yuri Bashmet and the Moscow Soloists: For the past several years, I have been coming across this ensemble again and again. They've become regulars...
Review: “Foreign Films About Turkey” @ TÜRVAK Exhibition Hall
Of all the images that cross our mind when we think of Istanbul, one that features Charles Bronson holding a gun is the least...
Review: Konstantin Lifschitz, Effortless in Istanbul
Istanbul has been around since 660 B.C., back when it was Byzantium. Bach is more than 300 years old. Neve Shalom Synagogue is from...
Letters from Istanbul: Yeldeğirmeni’s Quiet Renaissance
Author’s note: Last week, I wrote about the stories behind some of Istanbul’s street names, and the week before that I traced some of...
Review: Magnum Contact Sheets @ Istanbul Modern
I'm giddy and excited as I enter the Magnum Contact Sheets exhibition at the Istanbul Modern. This show provides a look at some of...
Retrospective – Curious Community: City Planning from a Feminist Perspective
From the organizer:
Organized by ATÖLYE and 3dots;, with support from Sweden Institute, 'Curious Community' is a monthly event series with a panel format. This...
Sarah Brightman Rocks our Souls in Istanbul
I remember being 5 or 6 years old and watching in awe as a pretty-looking, round-eyed young woman came on the TV screen, captivating...
Zorlu Center is a Jellicle Cat
Zorlu Center recently opened its doors to the world as an international center for business, shopping, and, above all, culture and art. It is...
Review: Medeski, Martin & Wood – Wide Open @ Babylon
It’s Friday night, and I am at our usual hangout for all good things jazz - Babylon Club in the heart of Asmalı Mescit...
Take 5: Kumkapı
Kumkapı is a neighborhood known for its central square filled with fish restaurants which lure in tourists. Outside this overflowing plaza and up through the windy...