The Bosphorus Issue

We begin this charter year on the water, because Istanbul only makes sense from it. A city that sits on two continents, with a strait running between them, cannot be read as a single map; it has to be crossed to be understood. So we have built this first issue around the Bosphorus and around one plain question — which shore to sleep on. The monuments are famous and we treat them, but the argument of the issue is quieter and more useful than that.

This issue lands in September on purpose. The heat of July and August has come off, the humidity drops, and the ferry decks become a comfortable place to sit and watch the ships pass. It is close to the best month to be here, and the late-afternoon light turns long and low across the water, catching the domes of Sultanahmet. We would send anyone who can choose their dates to the second half of May or the first half of October if not to September itself.

Our point of view is simple and we hold to it. Base yourself on the transit network — a short walk from a ferry pier, a tram or a metro stop — and let the monuments be a ride away. Sultanahmet is convenient for a short, sight-seeing trip and empties by night; Beyoğlu, from Karaköy up to Galata, keeps the city's evenings and puts you a short walk from a boat. The Asian side, in Kadıköy, is for a second visit, or for anyone drawn to the everyday city more than its monuments.

We have tried, as we will every month, to name what is there and to hedge what moves. Prices in Turkey have shifted a great deal from year to year, so we quote ranges and tell you to book ahead instead of fixing on a figure. What does not change is the shape of the place: the strait, the ferries, the two markets, the hills. That crossing, tea in hand on the open deck, is where the issue begins.

Vivienne Hartwell, Editor-in-Chief