Days and Nights in Istanbul: ASTA IDE

It was work, but it was fun.

ASTA put on its big show, and, for once, there were a good number of agents from my territory attending. My territory --also called "fly over land"-- usually is kind of a stay at home territory when it comes to shows in foreign lands.

For me, it was a bit of a break, though.

The Boss was okay without me doing a bunch of off-hours schmoozing.

So I wandered around Taksim Square.

It had been ten long years since I visited Turkey. During that trip, which was a FAM, I saw a bunch of the country.

This time, I just chilled at some of the cafes and wandered the streets. It was an equally good way to observe Turkey as was wandering around ten years ago.

I was put up at the Istanbul Hilton, and the service was wonderful. I had a good view, too. You can see it above. That's the Bosphorus River you see, with the Ritz Carlton to the right. (Note to agents: please sell a few more tours so I can stay at the Ritz next time.)

One of the places I had some good kabob was a cafe that featured 1970's American music and images. Inside murals included Elvis (the skinny version) and Muhammad Ali, along with other famous and faded seventies icons.

There's nothing like soaking up Turkish culture while listening to "It Never Rains in California".

My walk back to the Hilton had me passing McDonald's, Pizza Hut and Starbucks.

But don't despair. There is plenty of the real Istanbul and Turkey just off the main drag.

Check out Ya'lla Tours and our Turkey "delights".