I've been to Istanbul before, but only for meetings — never had time to actually explore the city. This time I went to meet and spend time with people I've been wanting to connect with, but I also made time to just walk around and take it in. I ended up with more awareness than I expected.
Istanbul is magnificent in itself — even just people-watching tourists from different countries and making snap judgments teaches you something. I'm sure that Indian couple in traditional dress has fought harder for the same basic things than the Dutch couple strolling past them. Or those Almancılar (Turks raised in Germany) visiting their home country — what do they make of life here?
A friend recommended a café in Cihangir, saying it had a really warm vibe. I felt it too. When I walked in, another customer greeted me unprompted. One of my favorite sights: middle-aged men dressed head-to-toe in black, clearly working in the arts, with incredible style. I'm not even going to mention the actor I saw. Those artistic middle-aged men — you could tell they had money and culture. I loved it.
I think there was a film shoot at the Pera Hotel — getting a glimpse of that world was beautiful. The Barbie and Ken walking out of Soho House... I loved how perfectly they embodied the cliché. The architecture alone is worth stopping to stare at, and when you layer in the sheer variety of people, everything becomes even more vivid.
I'm usually pretty good at spotting British people by sight. Germans and Dutch blur together for me (speaking purely off looks, not language). Later, when I sat down for a few business meetings, I heard figures I'd never encountered anywhere else. It was also nice to see the variety of luxury cars. Watching a young Russian woman wait for valet to bring her G-Wagon while a Turkish guy walked up asking if he could take a photo with it — the whole thing felt like watching a sketch come to life. Istanbul makes you feel small in every sense, and the way everyone just minds their own business reminds me of what people say about New York.
And then there were the undocumented domestic workers — women who care for other people's children so they can send money back to their own. Borderline slaves.
Seeing that reality up close — a woman that age addressing me formally as "siz" out of obligation — it unsettled me. But it also sharpened my awareness. Separately, watching two parties I've been wanting to connect finally meet reminded me that I'm pretty good at reading the room and connecting dots before most people see them.
That was one of those moments of clarity. Istanbul feels limitless in every way — money, people, fashion, options. I need to live there for a while before it's too late.
I've been heavy lately, stuck in my head. I haven't written here in a while. I feel like I'm not chasing enough and simultaneously not capitalizing on what's in front of me. I want to experience more, learn more, find the right people and actually spend time with them. Istanbul reminded me what's possible when you're in the right place with the right access. I want to be part of that business world — not just observing it, but building in it.