It almost feels like Times Square!

Day 1, 3:30pm – I land in Istanbul and head straight to the hotel.

Day 1, 5:00pm – I check in at the Taxim Hill Hotel and drag my bags up to the room.

Day 1, 5:30pm – I can’t possibly stay in a hotel room! That’s so not me.

I step out into Taxim Square, and I really really can’t help compare this city to New York. The life, the people, the bright lights, the vibrancy… It was unbelievable.

Yellow Taksi – The ones that don’t stop in traffic lights and are dime a dozen in NYC; seems like they were transported right here.

Too crowded to move is an understatement – Coming from another crowded country, I’m used to and quite like the fact that there’s so many people around. Times square is just the crowded I like and Taxim Square is well probably twice as crowded. There’s people bustling about everywhere.

Historic Buildings – Both cities have their share of history and every building seems to have a story to tell.

New shops in Old Buildings – I could see just about every brand that existed. The buildings itself were old architecture and style and yet they had the modern stores laid out. Everything from Mac and Body Shop to Guess and Tiffany's.

Street Vendors – While New York sees a fair share of pretzel vendors, Taxim Square vendors seem to be selling Simit, which is a circular bagel type snack.

Pavement Café’s – Well this is more wander off towards Greenwich village, but the side streets here in Istanbul's Taxim area were narrow and they had tables along the sidewalk. 

China Town – Look down another street and there’s a Chinese restaurant, it’s almost like I wandered down Broadway and ended up in China Town!

Times Square Lighting – It’s definitely not as brightly light, but lit up yes indeed… to think it’s like this everyday.

I think it’s the old with the new, the Monument of the republic statue, the opera house, the pigeons, the Metro station, the Sheek Kabab stalls, there were like a 100 more similarities. 

Maybe that’s just the charm of old cities moving into the modern world and yet being tourist capitals.

Day 2, 7:00am – I head out to Taxim Square for a walk down Istiklal Avenue… Just like if you were to head out to Times Square early in the morning, the place is still lit up and yes, there’s lots of people still walking around! The life in this city is simply round the clock!