Istanbul Metblogs » ist_david

Countdown to the full solar eclipse

ist_david — Sun, 12 Mar 2006 15:49:24 +0000

On March 29th there will be a full solar eclipse and a big part of Turkey will be in its viewing path. Although we will see a dramatic covering of the sun by the moon here in Istanbul, the best places for viewing the full eclipse will be a band from Antalya up through Konya and beyond. Check out Tunc Tezel’s great source of total solar eclipse info, along with eclipse path maps here

All used bookstores smell the same

ist_david — Tue, 28 Feb 2006 18:06:35 +0000

Whenever in Taksim, I try stop by Beyoglu Sahaflar Carsisi. It’s a 2 level place of bookstores piled high with pre-read books, magazines, and even a few movie posters. Today I bypassed pages like a Turkish printing of Donald Trump: Art of the Deal, and Frommer’s Europe for Five Dollars a Day (when was THAT printed?). I opted for a nice copy of Mevlana’s Mesnevi along with a Capadoccia travel guide for our roadtrip this weekend.

It’s a small world

ist_david — Mon, 27 Feb 2006 18:11:07 +0000

Last Autumn, my wife and I were walking in a place called the Grove in Hollywood (California). The Grove is much like Taksim- no cars, only walking, full of shops, restaurants, and movie theaters. But unlike Taksim, the Grove is just a few years old and everything is artificial, with absolutely no history. We walk around the corner by the Apple Store and bump! We walk straight into Turkey’s most famous popstar, Tarkan. He was as surprised to hear 2 merhabas, as we were to see him a universe away from Turkey. We chat a bit, trade numbers, then call our nieces and nephews in Turkey about our brush with fame. And by the way, he’s a nice guy too.

Meet me at Kizilkayalar Hamburger

ist_david — Sun, 26 Feb 2006 21:40:48 +0000

3 times this past week, I’ve met friends in front of the Burger King on Istiklal Caddesi. It’s a great place to meet- everyone knows where it is- the Burger King name is pounded into the heads of nearly everyone on the planet.

But I suggest we give Turks more recognition and elect Kizilkayalar Hamburger the official meeting place in Taksim from now on (by the way, it’s just a couple stalls down from Burger King).

Before I moved here I craved their steamy hot burgers (soaked with an excellent garlic/tomato sauce) every time I went back to the U.S. Now that I’m here, they’ve become my favorite comfort food, along with both fried and stuffed mussels down the way at Sampiyon Kokorecci.

Texas-size bus stops

ist_david — Sat, 25 Feb 2006 14:28:48 +0000

I was a bit surprised to see Clear Channel’s logo on several Istanbul bus stops recently. I used to think Istanbul was a long way from Texas (how silly of me).

For the inside story see the Rolling Stone article here

ATM scams

ist_david — Fri, 24 Feb 2006 13:59:23 +0000

Beware of your your next withdrawal from an ATM machine. We were in Eminonu last week, about to take cash from the Garanti ATM (just the other side of the tunnel walkway) and I noticed the card just didn’t feel right going into the machine.

Sure enough, some crafty thieves had placed a poorly made faceplate over the ATM slot that likely had a card scanner inside that reads your card information. With this info, the thieves can easily make a duplicate card and withdraw money from your account. This is sort of a common scam in the U.S. so I had heard of it before. It goes like this:

The fake card slot reads the card information and usually transmits it to someone very nearby. There is also either someone watching you over your shoulder or a tiny wireless video camera is attached somewhere on the machine to record you as you enter your PIN number.

We alerted the nearest Garanti office, so I expect they investigated.

If you suspect anything, just grab hold of the slot- if it moves or feels taped in place don’t put your card in, and especially don’t enter your PIN. (the picture attached is just an example- the one in Eminonu was much larger, covering the receipt slot as well)

Taksim with trees

ist_david — Fri, 24 Feb 2006 12:30:00 +0000

Some Istanbul clips from the past year- some old and some from this week. Remember when Taksim had trees?!

Guacamole Istanbul style

ist_david — Fri, 24 Feb 2006 10:49:54 +0000

I am lucky. Whenever my wife and I visit my in-laws near Mersin, my mother-in-law loads us down with crates of lemons, oranges, pomegranates, and my favorite- avacados fresh off the trees in their orchard.

My father-in-law eats avacados along with his breakfast, mixed with a little honey- I’m not yet sure yet what the rest of Turkey does with them but they’re very common in the supermarkets and vegetable markets here. I like them best mashed up to make guacamole, a Mexican dip eaten with corn chips. I went to Eminonu last week, bought a packet of kisnis seeds, planted them on Monday and am waiting for the leaves to grow. Also known as cilantro, corriander, or Chinese parsley you can’t make guacamole without it. So along with the kisnis, avacado, lemon, tomato, and onion I think I’ll have the start of a nice tequila margarita party just in time for the warm weather. Anyone want to try it? Having lived in Los Angeles for 15 years I’m practically an expert on Mexican food, and the finer art of tequila ; ).

Merhaba from Besiktas

ist_david — Thu, 23 Feb 2006 12:45:27 +0000

As an enthusiastic American expat (by way of Los Angeles) I hope to offer tantalizing bytes from my daily life here in Istanbul. Food, films, and the history that surrounds us here are my favorites so I hope my rambles are worthy of your reads. If I’m not here in my Besiktas apartment, I’m sometimes relaxing in Tophane, helplessly puffing on apple nargile. ; )