We’re now settled in at our new home on the Asian side of the Bosporus, in the section of Istanbul known as Kadıköy. It’s a 25 minute ferry ride, or a 5 minute subway ride to the European side. We almost always choose the ferry with its great views and tea sellers bringing tea to your seat for about 50 cents a glass.
Our apartment is delightful, light and modern, but nothing historic or charming about it. We’re 3 flights up a curving staircase and we look out into sycamore trees in the back, and a view of our street in the front.
What a street! Below, I’ve made a slideshow of some of the businesses we walk by daily in the 5 blocks just south of us. It’s a young, hip district, always busy, and with unleashed dogs and cats everywhere. Like Alice’s Restaurant, you can get anything you want (probably including Alice).
Here’s a little overview of the pix below. First, a few of the bakeries. Fortunately, so far, we’re walking at least a few miles every day, so this isn’t the problem it might become in the winter. Of course, there’s no lack of dondurma, ice cream, either. Kadıköy is actually famous as one of the centers of bread baking in Istanbul, so besides bakeries, there’s loads of bread bakeries, firinlar (singular: firin). And to complement the ever wafting smell of baking bread coming in our windows, there’s the Turkish pizza shops selling pide (pronounced pea-day), and the döner (shwarma, gyro) shops adding more layers of fragrance to the air. In case you need something to drink, to wash down your pide or baklava, there’s at least 8 coffee shops along the street, maybe more. (And that doesn’t count all the ones down the side streets, which I still haven’t explored carefully.) But if you want to get serious about eating, there’s lots of traditional Turkish lokantas, restaurants, displaying their dishes cafeteria style. Lokanta food…that’s some of my favorite food in the world. But not all the food here is prepared. There’s also dry foods (nuts, fruit, coffee, tea) and groceries in abundance. Want a tattoo? Need a workout? Like vintage clothes? All here. Not to mention home goods, hardware stores, new clothes, and, well… the list goes on.
So sit back, take a few minutes to relax, and enjoy a tour thru our local reality.
![You like flans, puddings, and cakes?](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/52cc1b44e4b05b8bc2d3c1ea/1726926826619-JZT5AZ2ET9666C91DIQN/bakery2.jpg)
![or stuffed baked goods?](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/52cc1b44e4b05b8bc2d3c1ea/1726926827290-UA13WZS02PVNRQSG79IC/bakery3.jpg)
![or baklava(s)?](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/52cc1b44e4b05b8bc2d3c1ea/1726926828100-PC8YX5V5NZYV2900B44E/bakery4.jpg)
![This is our favorite bakery with wonderful breads, too](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/52cc1b44e4b05b8bc2d3c1ea/1726926828961-GULKJ7D9CFOX6IRGO1I3/bakery5a.jpg)
![our fave again; and yes, he makes donuts...](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/52cc1b44e4b05b8bc2d3c1ea/1726926829411-YGNZUPS7A6KH2AH0IA8D/bakery5b.jpg)
![Home made ice cream, killer good](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/52cc1b44e4b05b8bc2d3c1ea/1726926834388-SDDCGWSQ3MVR0QVIZSRT/dondurma.jpg)
![A bakery and firin in one, #1](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/52cc1b44e4b05b8bc2d3c1ea/1726926824436-5H5ED31VJ0NR5DXYXJ5G/bakery1a.jpg)
![Another view of the bakery-firin...](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/52cc1b44e4b05b8bc2d3c1ea/1726926825157-XTGK2T308FEZK0IQJ8LX/bakery1b.jpg)
![and still another...](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/52cc1b44e4b05b8bc2d3c1ea/1726926825827-5B8LS4S4HV1ZPVY07HCV/bakery1c.jpg)
![A smaller bakery-firin...](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/52cc1b44e4b05b8bc2d3c1ea/1726926860578-F3Y6F9UNUXM63F3MC941/firin1a.jpg)
![... with it's oven.](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/52cc1b44e4b05b8bc2d3c1ea/1726926861088-NUGL8R3E47PIMNWEBPE2/firin1b.jpg)
![A firin 20 steps from our door.](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/52cc1b44e4b05b8bc2d3c1ea/1726926862108-2Q9F16K2TZWY8I6IVZJM/firin2.jpg)
![Pide...](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/52cc1b44e4b05b8bc2d3c1ea/1726926937588-73F232HNQSYPA7CLLM08/pide2.jpg)
![And our favorite pide place, right at our corner...](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/52cc1b44e4b05b8bc2d3c1ea/1726926938445-FFEYJHMLLDEKHLY8WP22/pide3a.jpg)
![... with its 2nd oven for roasting veggies.](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/52cc1b44e4b05b8bc2d3c1ea/1726926938916-GXCDQ65XWSOYTTFGFU84/pide3b.jpg)
![Döner...](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/52cc1b44e4b05b8bc2d3c1ea/1726926870101-9932MZP4JNA1Y6WS6WS0/doner1.jpg)
![and more döner.](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/52cc1b44e4b05b8bc2d3c1ea/1726926871424-ZU43MQMJR8MQW0G2WS0N/doner2.jpg)
![Here's where we usually drink coffee.](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/52cc1b44e4b05b8bc2d3c1ea/1726926984466-MCHXHK8JDV9NQ3I5Q4HY/kahve1.jpg)
![A big lokanta...](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/52cc1b44e4b05b8bc2d3c1ea/1726927004432-PBZY68HODH4MEI61XIMG/Lokanta1.jpg)
![... and my favorite lokanta, run by 2 ladies](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/52cc1b44e4b05b8bc2d3c1ea/1726927010768-HOCUCRYXFBHLXR9NVO4K/lokanta3.jpg)
![If you just want pilaf (pilav)...](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/52cc1b44e4b05b8bc2d3c1ea/1726927005025-MU4BWU8RUZTP0A4JRP2I/lokanta2.jpg)
![Like nuts and dried fruit and candy?](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/52cc1b44e4b05b8bc2d3c1ea/1726927094111-EMXCNQF8M91NTPSWESWQ/foods1.jpg)
![My favorite nuts and spices shop...](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/52cc1b44e4b05b8bc2d3c1ea/1726927094812-DR9RJBQG5J91M144KAKG/foods2a.jpg)
![... with it's outside display...](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/52cc1b44e4b05b8bc2d3c1ea/1726927096009-0TBW6M7WJYHHJ4OZKJ7M/foods2b.jpg)
![Sundries.](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/52cc1b44e4b05b8bc2d3c1ea/1726927096782-HVN1OTH4PXZLUGA3RTAA/foods3.jpg)
![Groceries...](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/52cc1b44e4b05b8bc2d3c1ea/1726927097830-572OOPFFDAV5J9GHWMNH/grocery1.jpg)
![and more groceries...](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/52cc1b44e4b05b8bc2d3c1ea/1726927098582-2B51FUYF16UAB5Y81S1K/grocery2a.jpg)
![... with their prepared salads and roasted veggies...](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/52cc1b44e4b05b8bc2d3c1ea/1726927099605-H2QPSUS6FEBH7MD0HR8O/grocery2b.jpg)
![Our grocery...](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/52cc1b44e4b05b8bc2d3c1ea/1726927100259-W279IISD0NFI92NDI4WD/grocery3a.jpg)
![... with figs, each of which will fill the palm of your hand...](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/52cc1b44e4b05b8bc2d3c1ea/1726927102254-PJR1ZPGY7EHL2UF949P7/grocery3b.jpg)
![... and here's a peek inside.](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/52cc1b44e4b05b8bc2d3c1ea/1726927102850-G210FFXK2TXC8HGSNSLT/grocery3c.jpg)
![Tats and things...](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/52cc1b44e4b05b8bc2d3c1ea/1726927146395-2DNVM76GIUNQK4RN0C5H/OfNote1.jpg)
![... workouts...](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/52cc1b44e4b05b8bc2d3c1ea/1726927146950-FSUXOHQDC638JFYFNMJ6/OfNote2.jpg)
![Where I got a vintage leather jacket for the winter.](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/52cc1b44e4b05b8bc2d3c1ea/1726927148346-RPIX8UA5UMJ4SONMJSL8/Ofnote3.jpg)
![Across the street from us.](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/52cc1b44e4b05b8bc2d3c1ea/1726927148958-WPWRH5SMUGGR3BMU4NPA/OfNote4.jpg)
![And down a side street, the Bosporus, 4 blocks away.](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/52cc1b44e4b05b8bc2d3c1ea/1726927162817-LVVUMTOM73U83VOWE2UE/view.jpg)