Neighborhoods that never sleep possess a kinetic energy which makes residing in them a constant source of inspiration in spite (or perhaps because) of the chaos and noise.
Someday I’ll get back to Istanbul, Claire. My first (and only) visit, in 1987, was filled with small pleasures like taking the Tünel every morning—completely unnecessary, superfluous, and thus joyful . It’s also been too long since I was in Paris. But I appreciate its middle-agedness and going to sleep at a decent hour.
This is beautiful. I wrote this in 2010. It reminded me why I wrote it: https://www.city-journal.org/article/weimar-istanbul
Thank you for reading and sharing! I will read your article shortly. For even more wacky, niche Istanbul writing, take a look at my piece on Fulya : )
Someday I’ll get back to Istanbul, Claire. My first (and only) visit, in 1987, was filled with small pleasures like taking the Tünel every morning—completely unnecessary, superfluous, and thus joyful . It’s also been too long since I was in Paris. But I appreciate its middle-agedness and going to sleep at a decent hour.