For decades, the Istanbulers you’d find in the waterside Karakoy district were after one of four things: maritime equipment, electronic parts, fresh fish or prostitutes. But since the 2010 openings of two restaurants — Lokanta Maya and Bej, an impeccably decorated airy restaurant-bar known for its cocktails and brunch — the gray workaday docklands area has begun to attract a more stylish crowd with a more refined shopping list. A remarkable influx of young creative types, restaurateurs and hoteliers has followed, and now the odor of fish and salt air mingles with the scent of nouveau Turkish cuisine, and the sounds of boat horns and engines with jazzy and electro music from new cafes and design boutiques. Karakoy is finally seeing its ship come in.
— SETH SHERWOOD
Pictured: Karabatak coffee shop
Credit: Ayman Oghanna for The New York Times
via In Istanbul, a Spray of Style – Slide Show – NYTimes.com.
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