It has only been a couple weeks since moving out of Halkalı. I’ve been traveling a lot and haven’t spent all of that time there, but, as I have predicted, I’m not 100% convinced about my new home in Şirinevler.
So, Şirinevler. You’re guessing what this is all about, huh? Well, I’d like to tell both of my readers that today is the happiest day of my life so far this week. I got 2 pieces of great news:
I wasn’t sure how to begin this entry or even title it. It’s about the neighborhood I’ve just moved into, Halkalı. I hate it. I don’t have much of a choice of where to live at the moment, so my good friend Tim from college offered me a room in his flat. I’m grateful for this, but our complaints are mutual because he also has no choice of location at the moment.
İş Sanat is a cultural center run by İşbank (Türkiye İs Bankası), the largest bank in Turkey. It’s located at the headquarters of the bank in the Levent neighborhood of the Beşiktaş district. There are art galleries and a performance hall. It’s an excellent venue for watching concerts, dance performances, and other cultural events.
Far to the west in Istanbul’s nether regions lies the district of Büyükçekmece. It sits on a large (and unfortunately polluted) lake, spanned by a historic Ottoman bridge built by Mimar Sinan (c. 1490 – 1588).
Küçükçekmece is a district in Istanbul west of the old Atatürk International Airport that isn’t worth your time visiting. I’ll write about it anyway, but I won’t have much to say. When I visited with Isaac, we were in and out in 30 minutes.
Istanbul Sapphire is the fourth tallest building in Istanbul (as of August 2024). It features an observation deck on the 56th floor.
Martin and Gönül invited me to join them at the 2012 WTA Championships in Istanbul. This would be the very first tennis event that I would attend in person. It took place at the Sinan Erdem Dome (Sinan Erdem Spor Salonu) in the district of Bakırköy. We were only able to attend the first day of matches due to work commitments.
The New Topkapı Cemetery (Yeni Topkapı Mezarlığı) sits outside the Theodosian Walls opposite the Topkapı neighborhood in Istanbul, Turkey. It’s located in the Zeytinburnu district.