Istanbul on the Upswing

Travel

By ROCKY CASALE

As Turkey inches its way toward the European Union (the E.U. recognized Istanbul as Capital of Culture last year), the country’s largest city is developing its tourism sector at lighting speed, opening a slew of flashy restaurants, notable galleries and stylish hotels. If you’re planning a visit this summer, make note of cultural happenings like the International Jazz Festival (July 1-19), with the headliners Paul Simon and Joss Stone, and the International Opera Festival (July 1-21), featuring open-air performances of Puccini’s “Tosca” and Mozart’s unfinished opus, “Zaide.”

Over the last several years, hotels like the Four Seasons Bosphorus (Ciragan Cad. No. 28) and the W (Suleyman Seba Cad. No. 22) have changed the city’s hotel scene from dreary to vibrant. Last year, Agatha Christie’s beloved Pera Palace Hotel (Meşrutiyet Caddesi No:52) unveiled a meticulous resaoration, and this spring Marriott and Ian Schrager introduced their second Edition (Buyukdere Caddesi No. 136), a 78-room ultramodern tower with a flagship Cipriani restaurant.

Gold Bar at the new Istanbul Edition.Gold Bar at the new Istanbul Edition.

To visit Istanbul without trying Turkish street food, like toothsome takes on kebabs and meze salads, is to miss the point. But if you’re hankering for something more upmarket, stop by Corvus Vineyard’s recently opened Wine and Bite (5 Sair Nedim Caddesi) for Mediterranean tapas, prosciutto, olives, cheeses and an excellent selection of house wine. For more substantial meals, Asitane (Kariye Cami Sokak 6) serves delicate, historically researched Ottoman cuisine, like a 16th-century dish of baked melons stuffed with minced meat, herbs, rice and almonds. For a modern spin on traditional Turkish meze and seafood, book a table at Fish (Cevdet Paşa Caddesi No. 224/1-5-6).

Any exploration of the city’s vigorous art scene begins with the Istanbul Modern (Liman Isletmeleri Sahasi, Antrepo No. 4), a former customs house on the Bosporus devoted to modern cinema, installations, painting and photography. (Its restaurant has excellent views from the minarets of the Sultanahmet to the expanses of the Marmara Sea.) The Pera Museum (Evliya Celebi Mh. Mesrutiyet Caddesi 65) has a vast collection of Orientalist paintings and Anatolian arts and crafts. And it’s worth your while to comb through some of the new contemporary galleries opening everywhere. New York’s Paul Kasmin Gallery (Suleyman Seda Caddesi No. 10) popped up here last year, as did the Sanatorium Contemporary Art Gallery (Istiklal Cad. Postacilar sok. No. 5), which will exhibit paintings by Gencay Aytekin and Saniye Donmez until July 30.

via Euro Zone | Istanbul on the Upswing – NYTimes.com.