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SITE REVIEW ICI•pg_14-22__BMT_pg3-58 1/22/13 2:21 AM Page 15 ISTANBUL/B ODRUM, TRAVEL TURKEY LIKE A LOCAL S B Y BRIENNE HERBERT o you want to travel like a local, huh? We've heard it before. These days, it's become trendy to advertise a "local" experience when traveling abroad. Usually, I quickly notice fanny packs and Nikon cameras by the numbers when I was promised a unique experience that is off the beaten path. It's just that easy with Avanti Tourism www.avantitourism.com. As a self proclaimed control freak, it was admittedly difficult to hand over the reigns of every detail of my travel plans to a stranger, something I have always struggled with through my international travels in the past. My intolerance for guided tours was thoroughly cured by the professionals at Avanti Tourism. As a full service travel boutique, Avanti Tourism specializes in architectural and city walks, history, culture as well as sailing the Aegean Sea. Most importantly, Avanti assists in breaking the language barrier and allowing travelers to learn traditions, gain access to local hot spots and become a temporary local. With Avanti Tourism, it's just that easy to sit back and let the professionals do the work. Upon arrival to Istanbul, the bustling crowds of the business district were no doubt intimidating, but only momentarily. After closer examination, I spotted many of the familiarities I have right at home in New York City. Taksim Square, situated in the European part of Istanbul, Turkey, is a major shopping and tourist area famous for its restaurants, shops and hotels. It is widely considered the Turkish Times Square. With a population of 13.5 million, the city is the center of the second-largest metropolitan area in Europe. The city is a central hub for Asia and Europe, and an ideal hot spot for North American and Canadian travelers. With a major airport, train station, and water ferry landing right in the heart of Istanbul, travel to and from this exotic major city couldn't be easier. As a New Yorker, I find myself at home in our Asian and European counterparts such as Hong Kong, Paris, and London. I'm pleased to announce that I can officially add Istanbul to this list. After receiving a brief history of the city, I was delighted to sit with my tour guide in a local Tea House near Taksim Square to people watch over a cup of Turkish Tea. Conveniently located only a short drive from Taksim Square, Surmeli Hotels and Resorts Istanbul www.surmelihotels.com offers the convenience of a central location along with the comforts that one would expect to find in any 5-star hotel. Based in the center of the business district, Surmeli Istanbul is surrounded by culture, entertainment and nightlife. The hotel features 203 rooms and suites, an in-hotel restaurant and bar, eight meeting rooms, a business floor and lounge, a health center and an outdoor swimming pool. Surmeli Istanbul can host a group as small as eight people and as large as 1,000, with a professional staff on hand ready to assist with equipment, cuisine and hosting for any meeting or convention planning needs. When traveling in any foreign destination, one of the most rewarding experiences for me has always been sampling all the local cuisine that I can get my hands on. After a day of grabbing street food left and right along with lounging in teahouses, our group was able to visit an eatery with a bit more historical significance. Opened in 1957, the Pudding Shop http://www.puddingshop.com is a world famous eatery in the Sultanahmet neighborhood of Istanbul. It became popular in the 1960s as a meeting place for hippies and other travelers along the "hippies trail" between Europe and Asia. Originally named the Lale Pastahanesi in 1957, the Pudding Shop was the only place travelers could get direct White houses clustered together cascading down steep hills of Bodrum B M & T ••• November/December 2012 ••• www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 15