Until now, I’ve avoided mentioning the big tourist attractions in Istanbul. Why is that? Because I hadn’t been to them! It’s taken me a few weeks, but I finally had a day to visit all of the major sites. Most of them are clustered in Sultanahmet, also known as the “historic district” and “Old Town” and what most people imagine when they think of Istanbul. The reality is that that district is a small fraction of the city and most residents avoid it as much as possible (like Times Square, they don’t really have any reason to go to it except to visit the sites or if they work there). Food is 10x more expensive than and not as good as the authentic, locally-owned cafes lining the streets of Ortaköy or Kadiköy. The only benefit is that it’s incredibly well connected to the rest of the city, so you may find yourself passing through if you need to get to the airport.

               Enough neighborhood-bashing. Here are the big sites and what I thought of them.