View from the Top

That little building next to the Camii is my apartment.

Sapphire Grand Opening

After a year of living next to it, I finally got to go inside/to the top of it.

The mall is fairly ubiquitous slightly bigger/nicer than Astoria though certainly no real competition for such super-malls as Forum and Isteniye Park. However the greatest appeal, besides the only Moe's in Istanbul, is the observation deck on the 54th Floor. It's pretty over whelming to have the complete panorama- the Black Sea, the Marmara, the financial district, both bridges, and on a clear day like today, even the Prince's Islands. I expect it will soon make Çeliktepe must-see stop on the tourist check list - not sure how much I like that, but it's fun to live in the middle of the action.

View from the Sapphire's Observation Deck from Michael Butterworth on Vimeo.

(pictures coming soon)

Umbrella Graveyard

I was warned before I moved to Istanbul that the winters can be harsh. In reality the temperature is much more forgiving than the humid Ohio Valley winters I spent the last 5 years in, or the massive snowfalls Arizona's White Mountains can get when there's not a drought (which admittedly isn't often). However, since 3 major weather systems meet at Istanbul, the city can get some pretty gnarly winds. That coupled with incessant rain can make for a fairly miserable winter- even if the thermometer hasn't dropped below 0 C. Case in point, the short walk to my metro stopped was littered with discarded broken umbrellas whose poor construction could not withstand the elements.

Definitely looking forward to Spring.

Grand Opening

One of my first blog posts here in Istanbul was about the Sapphire, the skyscraper that's being built in my front yard. Anyway, it looks like they're almost done, cuz this popped up on the jumbo tron. It's still looks bomboş (empty) on the inside- so I'm a little skeptical this grand opening is for reals.

LFG in Istanbul

Istanbul is a world class cultural and business center, the former capital of 3 empires, and one of the largest cities on earth. I lot of important people live here or pass through here all the time. Nonetheless, I was surprised and excited to see on Twitter that my all time favorite athlete* Larry Fitzgerald was in town. Totally considering waiting outside the nice hotels to get an autograph.

*this honor is shared with Phoenix Suns point guard Steve Nash

İmla Hataları

My never ending quest to find good espresso in Istanbul led me to Bebek to check out Cafe Lucca (because it popped up here amongst the winners of last year's SCAE competition). I didn't find the espresso, but I did find an impressive contemporary art exhibition from Turkish visual artist Aslı Biçer, entitled İmla Hataları (Spelling Errors). I particularly liked her use of collaged newspaper scraps. Check out some of Aslı's other works here.

Home Brew

Anyone who reads this blog knows that I can be rather pretentious when it comes to coffee. I love it, but through a series of events largely outside of my control, I developed a taste for only the very best. However, I also live in a place where artisan, fresh roasted coffee is hard to come by. Thankfully I'm very blessed to have a lot of loving friends who have indulged my opulent addiction, even from long distances.

In the past year I've brewed coffee from some of America and Europe's best roasters here at my apartment in Istanbul- all with my Hario V60, Hario Skerton grinder, and traditional Turkish tea pot. These roasters include:

PT's

Cartel

Barismo

Sunergos

Square Mile

Counter Culture

Terroir

Intelligentsia

The Coffee Collective

I'm not bragging- I just want to share how blessed I was. Thank you to everyone who had a part in this... also you'll be glad to know I shared the deliciousness with a lot of people.

Skate Istanbul

I started skateboarding in the 6th grade, broke my arm 50/50ing a curb in the 8th grade, but stuck with it until my junior/senior year when playing music became a more viable means of impressing girls.

My roommate Seth has a similar story, only he never sold out. I recently snagged this footage of him killing/chilling it on a miniramp at one of Istanbul's several skateparks.

Istanbul Miniramp Session from Michael Butterworth on Vimeo.

It's pretty amazing how skate culture has globalized.

Bike Istanbul: the helmet cam.

Biking in Istanbul is crazy. But you could say that about biking in a lot of urban areas. Somehow it doesn't accurately denote the full significance of cycling in Istanbul. Thankfully, my roommate Seth set out to document a fairly normal ride.

Biking in Crazy Istanbul Traffic from Michael Butterworth on Vimeo.

Rümeli Hisarı

Sometimes you have to climb all over old fortresses with your friends.

23

I am now 23 years old.

To commemorate the occasion I visited the Pera Museum, to see their impressive collection of Orientalist art (particularly The Tortoise Trainer by Ottoman intellectual Osman Hamdi Bey) and was surprised to discover a very impressive Japanese digital art installation. I say surprised not because I didn't know about it, but because I didn't expect to be impressed (most American digital installation art I've seen I found boring and inaccessible). It was awesome. Well worth the 3 Lira.

But since the (almost) decade of weekday-birthdays I'm in the middle of is not conducive to actually celebrating my date of birth on the 30th, I waited until today to do what I really wanted to do: ride bikes around beautiful islands in the Marmara Sea where there are quaint houses, old churches, gorgeous panoramas, and no cars. I know what you're thinking, can such a wonderful place exist only 1 hour outside of the sprawling megalopolis that is Istanbul? Are there unicorns there too?

Well, in answer to your questions, yes, it does exists, and maybe, but I didn't see any.

Heybeliada was my favorite, and is actually a contender for my favorite place on earth. I would love to have a cabin here and either write poetry or run a small cafe and coffee roastery.

Büyükada was also great, and definitely had nicer bike paths, quainter cottages, and more restaurants and shops, but somehow I didn't like it as much. I guess minimalism wins again (slash the reckless cyclist in me that likes to be able to bomb hills without having to dodge horse-drawn carriages and "gez"ing tourists- Heybeliada is much emptier.)

Here are some of my favorite pictures.

Kahveci

Today I went to the Mısır Çarşısı with my photographer/guitar teacher friend Numan, where I bought a cezve and some freshly ground Türk kahvesi. Numan asked me to pose on the steps of the famous Yeni Camii (New Mosque), which was pretty cool and scenic until I got attacked by a flock of Hitchcockian pigeons.

Back at the house Numan taught Seth and me how to make Turkish coffee. Pretty pumped to have trans-continental barista abilities now.

Bike Istanbul

After six months of mentally debating it, I finally caved and bought a bicycle to ride in Istanbul. I bought this bike from the Bike Bazaar in Fatih. It's a mountain bike and it has gears, which makes it the polar opposite of the fixed-gear track bike I rode in the States (in fact, I am a little apprehensive that some of the fixed-gear only bike gangs I've rolled with in America are going to track me down and exact gangland revenge on me for betraying "the cause". I'm banking on the ability to coast down steep hills to evade them... and yes, I completely realize how ironic that statement is.) Anyway, it's a Whistle which is an Italian company but it is manufactured in Turkey which means I was able to dodge the 40% import tax on foreign goods. Plus it feels good to ride a Turkish-made bicycle in Turkey.

Seth (who also bought a bicycle) and I broke them in by riding from the Bazaar in Faith all the way to Bebek (with a detour in Beşiktaş up what is possibly the biggest hill I've ever climbed) then back down to Örtaköy from Bebek. Not counting the detour, it was over 15k. For those of you not familiar with Istanbul geography, it looked something like this (except contra picture we took the Galata Bridge).

Definitely feels great to be back on a bike. Prayers for safety in crazy traffic are appreciated.

N'aber

My favorite source for English-language news about Turkey is Hurriyet Daily News. Although their editorials often come across as naive and pedantic and their sports coverage is comparable to CBS, they typically have a handle on happenings across Turkey worth promoting.

For example:

I was fortunate enough to see U2 last Monday. Shockingly, Bono had a lot of political things to say, mostly involving complicated names I'd never heard of (and speaking for the Turkish names involved- horribly mispronounced as well- even Prime Minster Erdoğan). Anyway, I was glad that Hürriyet evidently had a reporter on the case who was able to decipher all the obscure references. Bono even wrote the paper a letter after the show.

When I noticed at Istanbul's Forum shopping mall that an H&M was coming soon (much to my pseudo-hipster excitement)- I wasn't surprised when I discovered Hurriyet had already run a feature about the trendy-but-affordable Swedish fashion retailer.

Also, the best Türk Kahvesi I've yet to have drunk is from Mandabatmaz, which is tucked away on a tiny alley off Istiklal Caddesi. How did I discover this gem? The Hürriyet sponsored food blog Istanbul Eats.

So thank you Hürriyet, that I can stay informed about contemporary events in my country of residence with only an elementary understanding of Turkish. That being said, don't be afraid to work on your sports coverage.

Babyworth

My baby brother David took a short break from his time in Rome to come see me in Istanbul! But he needs to shave.

Outings: #1

This summer the Dernek I work for is sponsoring a different outing every weekend. This weekend we went to Chora Church, which is considered one of the finest surviving Byzantine churches, and a cafe where the famed French novelist Pierre Loti once lived.

Of course I had to take a picture of my namesake.

The view of the Golden Horn from Pierre Loti.

Gallery Opening

"Art is limitation. The essence of every picture is its frame."

- G.K. Chesterton

This last weekend my friend Brittany had a gallery opening displaying photos she has shot around Istanbul over the past year. I was quite impressed with her aesthetic vision, especially her reinterpretations of the iconic symbols of the city, as well as finding beauty and redemption in unexpected places.

Where Does the Time Go?

This week felt exceptionally busy... but it wasn't until I realized I neglected this blog for an entire week that I think it caught up with me. Journaling, running, reading, and apartment cleaning were also given woefully inadequate time, and I am feeling the affects. It's seems better time management or a simplified schedule is needed.

Today however was wonderfully spent showing my older brother Paul Istanbul (particularly Taksim, Örtaköy, Bebek, Levent). As a three year employee of Starbucks, he was particularly amazed by this location, which is easily the coolest conceivable consumer/corporate coffee shop.

Speaking of coffee, I would love to give this iced coffee brewing technique a try... and this GF Banana Bread recipe. Anyone interested in testing the results?

The Week in Review

Awesome things that have happened this week:

Hung out with my brother Paul in Sultanahmet. Had probably the coolest meal I've ever had, which literally involved setting food on fire and breaking pots with hammers. I'll get to show him the rest of the city after he returns from traveling the Turkish countryside.

Passed my final exam for level 1 Turkish. Level two starts Tuesday!

Visited the Istanbul Museum of Modern Art with several friends. I especially liked an installation piece by Serkan Özkaya and after researching him discovered he has a particular connection with my beloved city of Louisville (Proof on Main has featured Özkaya's work and he hand-illustrated an actual Courier-Journal issue).

Encountered 40+ zombies in Taksim Square dancing to Michael Jackson's Thriller.

Intended to visit Boğazaçi Üniversitesi's Sport's Fest, but was thwarted by the weather. Thankfully, Iron Man 2 was an apt contingency plan. I thought it was a great sequel, just as charming and entertaining as the first with very little plot to get in the way of explosions and one-liners.

A Walk in The Park

Well the whole living-on-the-complete-opposite-side-of-the-world thing finally caught up with me and I've been sick now for an entire week. Granted, I'm not a doctor and I only got a B in biology, but Google seems to think I have bronchitis, which would explain the incessant and sometimes violent coughing.

Well thankfully it doesn't take a prescription to get drugs in this country, and considering today was the first time I felt better than the day before, I think these massive, grape-sized antibiotics are doing the trick.

As a general rule, I hate being sick. Although it's usually a great excuse to stay inside and read- which is usually my favorite pastime- I haven't been immersed in this culture nearly long enough to want to escape from it. Furthermore, today was obnoxiously beautiful, so I forced myself to take a stroll through the 'hood.
Thankfully, even the most urban of neighborhoods like mine has a park near by, and on a gorgeous Sunday afternoon, it's pretty much the place to be. Sitting on park benches might as well be a sport in Istanbul. Good luck finding an empty one.