Yabangee Wine Tasting: An Informal Attempt
Turkey is home to some of the world’s oldest wine making traditions, particularly along its Western coastal regions near the Marmara and Aegean seas....
Altın Gün Throws a Turkish Folk Party at Salon IKSV
In the final weeks of Salon IKSV's 2018 season, Altın Gün paid a memorable visit to the popular venue in back-to-back performances. As tickets...
Kem Kum Egyptian Vegan Restaurant: Moda’s Family-Owned Culinary Delight
For those happy with Turkish cuisine, finding a place to eat in Istanbul is easy enough with plenty of options in every neighborhood and...
Looking for Love at First Sight Speed Dating in Istanbul
As soon as I exit the Taksim metro station and begin my walk to the event location, I begin to panic. Why am I...
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...
Jose Carreras Marks the Musical Season
Just when the season looked like it couldn't possibly get any better, the Zorlu Center went above and beyond by featuring the crème de...
Finding and Tasting Turkey’s Microbrews: Gara Guzu and Pera
Beer in Istanbul is a touchy subject for a lot of expats, who generally fall into a few camps when it comes to preference....
Review: GoGo Penguin @ Salon IKSV
As a band name, 'GoGo Penguin' doesn't exactly carry the weight or edginess that one usually associates with a jazz trio. But as soon as...
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...
Review: 23rd Istanbul Jazz Festival Opening @ Cemil Topuzlu
Imagine a night that Damon Albarn opens the 23rd Istanbul Jazz Festival at Cemil Topuzlu Open Air Theatre and then the Arabic ‘Ada Sahillerinde Bekliyorum’...
The Museum of Innocence by Orhan Pamuk
You might have not heard of this museum but if you are a reader, you would probably have bumped into the name Orhan Pamuk....
Bhangra Diwali Festival & Me
Among the highlights of my month was the Bhangra Diwali Festival, organized by the Friends of India Association, and taking place at the Hilton...
Midnight at the Pera Palace
A young journalist travels back in time to 1919 Istanbul, accidentally disrupting the natural flow of history. She must act quickly to prevent the...
Green Getaway: Polonezköy
There are times when Istanbul can be too much, at least for a country girl like me. Especially in the summer, as the sticky...
Istanbul Half Marathon Recap
Although predictions had called for a sunny morning, April 26 turned out to be a dreary day with clouds and slight showers. Nevertheless, many Istanbulites...
A Dozen of the Best: The 12 Cellists of the Berlin...
The Istanbul Music Festival is always a highlight of the summer. This is the forty-third year of the festival, and the central theme this time...
Emma Shapplin Wows Rain or Shine
Saturday evening, the Cemil Topuzlu Open-Air Amphitheater hosted one of the most unique names in cross-over music, Emma Shapplin: a coloratura soprano who has...
Review: Charlie Parker Tribute @ Salon IKSV
Since 2011, Salon IKSV has been organizing special sessions to pay tribute to some of the most unforgettable names in jazz. Each year these...
Review of ISTrapped: Turkey’s First Room Escape Game
Istanbul is a city of countless sights and activities, which makes getting locked up in a room for an hour seem like a strange...
Turkey at the Expo Milano 2015: Food, Hospitality, Design
The World Expo, held this year in Milan, is one of the foremost opportunities for states to dazzle the rest of the world. This...
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...
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...
Big Burn: Istanbul’s Greatest Fire Concept Party That Really Did Happen
Anyone who’s lived here long enough has likely noticed a proliferation of high-quality music events around the city in the past several years generally...
Camel Wrestling in the Land of the Efe
Camel wrestling is, in a word, raucous. Smoke permeates every inch of the earthen amphitheater, so much so that it is difficult to make...