My best friend and I are planning a trip next May. I will do Paris alone, as it will be mostly design visits, and she will join me for Istanbul and Morocco. I have a very good friend from Turkey, and have always wanted to see Istanbul, so now I am super excited to go (mainly to have a local tour guide and free room!)
Istanbul is very modern - of course I am still excited to see the Aya Sofya (Hagia Sophia), Topkapi Palace, and Grand Bazaar, but there is now a wonderful modern art museum and tons of great designer shops. The most famous designers for interiors, furniture, and architecture right now in Istanbul is probably Autoban, and they have long been favorites of mine. You are probably familiar with their "octopus" light fixture. If you would like to visit Istanbul and money is no object, the mansion on the Bosporus, A'Jia Hotel (pictured below) is a wonderful option. There are also many mid-priced modern hotels with very cool interiors like Lush. One of my favorite New York designers, Antony Todd, just opened a beautiful store there. If you are from New Orleans and want a little taste of home, the Istanbul Jazz Festival is every March.
Have you been to Istanbul? Do you have any recommendations for us while we are there?
E
4 comments:
It looks beautiful there!! I think we might be stopping in Turkey on our cruise in July!! I'll let you know if we do and if there is anything amazing that I find!!
Want both of those houses on the water. Unbelievably gorgeous homes. I want a beautiful home someday. What a great piece of real estate!
Go to Ortakoy on a sunday... (you have the picture here, the mosque on the Bosphorus), take the boat tour and get ready to see the most amazing houses from Ottoman period . If you want a preview go check out Marta Stewart's website for her recent episode, where they talk about the history and architecture etc..
Visit Taksim Square (lots of bars and restaurants). I know you mentioned that you do not drink (me neither) but there is a 100+ year old winery Pano (across from British COnsulate) and they are famous with their mezes (kinda like tapas in turkish greek style).
A must see >>>
Istanbul Modern
Galata Tower
Topkapi Palace
Underground Cistern
Grand Bazaar
Spice Bazaar
Archeology Museum
Chora Museum (woowwww)
Hagia Sophia
Blue Mosque
Suleymaniye Mosque
ahhh the list is endless..
just enjoy and have a turkish coffee :-))
also I forgot to mention if you live before May 14 the flight tickets are 600 dollars cheaper..
Post a Comment