Thread: So who's been to istanbul?

Wife has been invited to speak at a conference, needs a babysitter for the newborn (yeay me!) will end up paying 1 ticket plus infant airfare (she'll be 3+ months by time of trip) for a week long moderately expenses paid trip.
We've had the city on our must see list since our trip to Palermo and our experience there with Byzantine architecture. We geek that way.
Anyone who's been let us know what was fun when you went, we'll adapt for our circumstances.
We are well aware of certain perils of international travel and I've already heard about the taxi drivers in Turkey.
Aside from that wife's sister has a roommate (that she gets along with) from the city and her family is excited to welcome us and give us their version of a tour, but if you ever went there I'd like to hear about it.

I can't hear the word Istanbul without breaking out in song....

You mean Constantinople right?

I haven't been there, but I heard that there they call just call Turkish Delight, well, Delight. :P

Do NOT buy and take any "historical" souvenirs with you, no matter how unimportant they look. Laws in Turkey (and Greece and the like) regarding preservation of historical sites are super strict.

There's been stories of people taking simple stones with them as souvenirs and ending up multiple years in prison after they got caught on the airport by the Turkish border patrol. And Turkish prisons are not exactly a fun stay, from what I hear.

i did a little time, small misunderstanding.

Be sure to watch Midnight Express before going.

Joey, have you ever been in a... in a Turkish prison?

I was there for a couple of days in 2008 and definitely need to go back and spend more time there. It is one of the most spectacular cities of the world, IMO. Just like the location straddling Europe and Asia, the city is a mix of ancient and modern, poor and rich. Just remember that it's home to 14 million people, so expect traffic and crowds. It's good that you'll have some locals to show you around, so you won't be stuck in the usual tourist areas dealing with the touts. Food is very good in general, but make sure to go through Istanbul Eats - Istanbul Restaurant & Food Guide for some real amazing places, some fancy but mostly hole in the wall.
Have fun.