Photo Of The Day: Istanbul Balcony

by Meg Nesterov on


I’m getting ready to pack up and leave Istanbul tomorrow, after over two years and one baby, so you’ll have to indulge me in a bit of preemptive nostalgia. Amidst the photos of Hagia Sophia and kebab vendors in the Gadling photo pool of Istanbul images, I was surprised to see this photo by Flickr user BrettDresseur, of a view almost identical to my own a few doors down on Vali Konagi Avenue. Taken in Istanbul’s Nişantaşı neighborhood, she captured the beautiful architecture and European feel of the area. Similar to Manhattan‘s Upper East Side, Nişantaşı is where to find Turkey‘s priciest retail stores (more Chanel suit than carpet seller), Turkish and foreign ladies who lunch, and the childhood home of Turkish Nobel Laureate Orhan Pamuk. Visitors to Istanbul can now visit the innovative Museum of Innocence, based on his novel of the same name. The museum is near Taksim square in Çukurcuma, but the setting is pure Nişantaşı. I’ll miss this view and the feeling of living inside one of his novels; goodbye for now, Istanbul!

Add your favorite neighborhood shots to the Gadling Flickr pool for another Photo of the Day.

Breaking: bomb explodes in Istanbul’s Taksim Square

by Grant Martin on

Taksim Square, one of the main tourist hubs of Istanbul, Turkey, was the setting of a suicide bombing this Sunday. The square and large thoroughfares surrounding the region are a highly trafficked area in the European side of Istanbul, no doubt part of the reason that it was targeted.

Details are still sketchy, but it appears that Turkish police were the target of the plot; according to MSNBC, 10 officers have been injured while an additional dozen civilians have also been involved. Depending on the source, there also may be two to three fatalities.

Tourists in the Turkish metropolis are advised to stay clear of Taksim Square, the pedestrian street leading up to the Republic Monument and any other highly trafficed part of town while authorities sort out the source of the bombings and pin down a motive.