Istanbul - Nişantaşı and Levent

In the afternoon, we took the tram to Istanbul's Taksim Square and set our sights on Nişantaşı and Levent.  When we travel, I like to read books set in the place we're visiting to give an added dimension to the streets as we stroll.  At the time of this Sidewalk Safari, I was reading Istanbul by Orhan Pamuk.  He lived in Nişantaşı for a time.  The book is essentially a melancholy memoir of the city where he spent his entire life.  

The buildings in Nişantaşı were much more utilitarian and practical than elsewhere in Istanbul.

We spotted a McDonald's delivery vehicle.  This motorcycle brings new meaning to the term fast food.

We walked through a lovely park in Nişantaşı past busts of Turkish heroes.

We took the train to Levent, the business part of Istanbul to visit a colleague but the neighborhood wasn't particularly photogenic.  We took the subway back to Taksim Square and stopped at a self-service restaurant, Bereket Halk Doner, for dinner.

For a bargain price, we got chickpea soup, chicken stew, rice, pudding, and a cup of sour tasting milk.

The restaurant itself had more grand aspirations than its prices would suggest judging from this chandelier.

Full to the brim, we headed back to our hotel to steep further in Orhan Pamuk's memories of old Istanbul.