A stately walk down main GümüÅŸsuyu road
Güncelleme Tarihi:
by Niki Gamm
OluÅŸturulma Tarihi: Haziran 19, 2009 09:34
ISTANBUL - On the hill down to the water is Gümüşsuyu and then Ayaspaşa, a community of very expensive apartment buildings that command a magnificent view of the Bosphorus and the Marmara. The boulevard passes Istanbul Technical University and then, there on the slope down to Dolmabahçe, is İnönü Stadium.
From Taksim Square, a broad tree-shaded boulevard winds its way down to Dolmabahçe Palace. The area in the 19th century was a cemetery although today one couldn’t tell it.Â
The boulevard, İnönü Caddesi, is lined with stately apartment buildings from the early 20th century although their ground floors have been taken over by shops, restaurants and bus line companies.
There’s a Russian restaurant, Ayaspaşa Russian Restaurant, on one corner that serves a mean borscht. It is next to Fischer Restaurant that specializes in Russian-Austrian food and the Great Hong Kong Restaurant. Across the street there is one of the best Chinese restaurants in Istanbul. The stately German embassy keeps its silence as the parade of people and cars, buses and taxis go by.
Next-door is the shell of a building that should have long ago been finished or torn down. Süzer Holding, of Ritz-Carlton Hotel fame, suffered a local backlash over plans for what many years ago would have been one of Istanbul’s most famous hotels, the Park, the scene of many a delightful tea-time meetings and possibly even an intrigue or two. Leading the fight was Mesut Yılmaz, whose mother lived in an apartment building across the street and whose view of the Bosphorus and the Marmara would be blocked. Years later, the partially completed building still haunts the boulevard.
On the hill down to the water is Gümüşsuyu and then Ayaspaşa, a community of very expensive apartment buildings that command a magnificent view of the Bosphorus and the Marmara. There’s a very little known hotel, the Sed Hotel, just down the hill that can boast of its highly rated Terrace Restaurant. Food, live music four days a week and a fabulous view combine make any visit memorable.
Dolmabahçe Palace
The boulevard passes Istanbul Technical University and then on the slope down to Dolmabahçe, there is İnönü Stadium, the home stadium for the Beşiktas football club. Just beyond it is the Dolmabahçe Palace, a magnificent white marble palace built in the middle of the 19th century. The opulent interior is precisely what comes to mind for what a 19th century palace ought to be. Today it is a museum. It was the second of the three Bosphorus palaces that reputedly bankrupted the Ottoman treasury. It has a beautiful old clock tower in the square in front of it between the palace entrance and Dolmabahçe mosque. The square serves as a landing for visiting warships and training ships as well as a sales point for the colorful pennants and flags of Turkey’s many football clubs.
Proceeding along past the palace we see Galatasaray University, Feriye that consists of a theater complex, conference center and restaurant along the shore and on the other side of the road, Swissotel the Bosphorus with its five-star excellence.
The old Beşiktaş ferry landing was originally built in 1913 and was restored just two years ago. It’s a beautiful and elegant place. And speaking of restoration, the famous Beşiktaş Fish Market has been completely redone and it looks great. The people who work there are very happy and so are the people who go there to get some of the freshest fish in Istanbul. The road is now completely closed to vehicles so it is comfortable to walk and shop at the market. You might want to ask where the restaurant is that young Beşiktaş football supporters like to go because you’ll find good food in a congenial atmosphere even though you might be a Fenerbahçe or Galatasaray supporter.
Busy BeÅŸiktaÅŸ
Beşiktaş has a small town atmosphere to it but it always seems to be very busy as many people come from the surrounding areas to shop for lower prices; the products aren’t the best quality but are great bargains. It’s not a very swinging place but the smart shopper can feel very satisfied. Try morning hours before 11 a.m. if you like to shop leisurely, later the pace can become frantic.
Crowning Beşiktaş is the Conrad Istanbul Hotel with its unique curving shape. It offers a great view of the Bosphorus and the Marmara on the one side and an overview of Yıldız Palace on another, not to mention some really good restaurants.
The newest attraction is of course Akaretler, which has finally opened on the south side of BeÅŸiktaÅŸ. For how many years did these interesting row houses stand empty as one company after another tried to figure out how to renovate them into a hotel? Finally BeÅŸiktaÅŸ sports club chairman Serdar Bilgili came along and Istanbul gained one of its most exciting venues in years.
Built in the 1870s to accommodate people who were working at Dolmabahçe Palace, it gradually declined after the establishment of the Turkish Republic. Eventually the buildings were emptied and in spite of great interest and attempts to renovate the place, it wasn’t until 2007 that work was undertaken.
The boulevard, İnönü Caddesi, is lined with stately apartment buildings from the early 20th century although their ground floors have been taken over by shops, restaurants and bus line companies.
There’s a Russian restaurant, Ayaspaşa Russian Restaurant, on one corner that serves a mean borscht. It is next to Fischer Restaurant that specializes in Russian-Austrian food and the Great Hong Kong Restaurant. Across the street there is one of the best Chinese restaurants in Istanbul. The stately German embassy keeps its silence as the parade of people and cars, buses and taxis go by.
Next-door is the shell of a building that should have long ago been finished or torn down. Süzer Holding, of Ritz-Carlton Hotel fame, suffered a local backlash over plans for what many years ago would have been one of Istanbul’s most famous hotels, the Park, the scene of many a delightful tea-time meetings and possibly even an intrigue or two. Leading the fight was Mesut Yılmaz, whose mother lived in an apartment building across the street and whose view of the Bosphorus and the Marmara would be blocked. Years later, the partially completed building still haunts the boulevard.
On the hill down to the water is Gümüşsuyu and then Ayaspaşa, a community of very expensive apartment buildings that command a magnificent view of the Bosphorus and the Marmara. There’s a very little known hotel, the Sed Hotel, just down the hill that can boast of its highly rated Terrace Restaurant. Food, live music four days a week and a fabulous view combine make any visit memorable.
Dolmabahçe Palace
The boulevard passes Istanbul Technical University and then on the slope down to Dolmabahçe, there is İnönü Stadium, the home stadium for the Beşiktas football club. Just beyond it is the Dolmabahçe Palace, a magnificent white marble palace built in the middle of the 19th century. The opulent interior is precisely what comes to mind for what a 19th century palace ought to be. Today it is a museum. It was the second of the three Bosphorus palaces that reputedly bankrupted the Ottoman treasury. It has a beautiful old clock tower in the square in front of it between the palace entrance and Dolmabahçe mosque. The square serves as a landing for visiting warships and training ships as well as a sales point for the colorful pennants and flags of Turkey’s many football clubs.
Proceeding along past the palace we see Galatasaray University, Feriye that consists of a theater complex, conference center and restaurant along the shore and on the other side of the road, Swissotel the Bosphorus with its five-star excellence.
The old Beşiktaş ferry landing was originally built in 1913 and was restored just two years ago. It’s a beautiful and elegant place. And speaking of restoration, the famous Beşiktaş Fish Market has been completely redone and it looks great. The people who work there are very happy and so are the people who go there to get some of the freshest fish in Istanbul. The road is now completely closed to vehicles so it is comfortable to walk and shop at the market. You might want to ask where the restaurant is that young Beşiktaş football supporters like to go because you’ll find good food in a congenial atmosphere even though you might be a Fenerbahçe or Galatasaray supporter.
Busy BeÅŸiktaÅŸ
Beşiktaş has a small town atmosphere to it but it always seems to be very busy as many people come from the surrounding areas to shop for lower prices; the products aren’t the best quality but are great bargains. It’s not a very swinging place but the smart shopper can feel very satisfied. Try morning hours before 11 a.m. if you like to shop leisurely, later the pace can become frantic.
Crowning Beşiktaş is the Conrad Istanbul Hotel with its unique curving shape. It offers a great view of the Bosphorus and the Marmara on the one side and an overview of Yıldız Palace on another, not to mention some really good restaurants.
The newest attraction is of course Akaretler, which has finally opened on the south side of BeÅŸiktaÅŸ. For how many years did these interesting row houses stand empty as one company after another tried to figure out how to renovate them into a hotel? Finally BeÅŸiktaÅŸ sports club chairman Serdar Bilgili came along and Istanbul gained one of its most exciting venues in years.
Built in the 1870s to accommodate people who were working at Dolmabahçe Palace, it gradually declined after the establishment of the Turkish Republic. Eventually the buildings were emptied and in spite of great interest and attempts to renovate the place, it wasn’t until 2007 that work was undertaken.