Business Traveler, June 2019

J U N E 2 0 1 9 b u s i n e s s t r a v e l e r u s a c o m 3 0 D E S T I N AT I O N S In the Old City vast mosques rise out of the landscape commanding respect and attention CLOCKWISE FROM THIS PAGE TOP Picturesque park with Hagia Sophia behind the Basilica Cistern Whirling Dervishes and the Kubbeli Saloon at Pera Palace Hotel ISTOCK I m heading back to my hotel after a spectacular Turkish feast at Ali Ocakbaşı Gümüşsuyu a great little dining spot overlooking the Bosphorus when out of nowhere cars begin streaming past with their horns blaring Passengers are hanging out the windows shouting brandishing flags and setting off flares The traffic lights ahead turn red one car deliberately swings across all three lanes blocking the highway Four young men leap out and jump on the roof chanting at the beeping vehicles behind them and setting off more flares Im genuinely quite alarmed what is going on An uprising a protest a political rally As it turns out its a football victory Its the end of the Super Lig the Turkish Premier League Galatasaray has beaten Goztepe in a tense 1 0 showdown to win the cup and half the city has erupted in celebration We crawl past Taksim Square the central piazza in the heart of modern Istanbul where throngs of jubilant fans have congregated to join the revelry The riotous celebrations last until the early hours as evidenced by the continuous hooting outside my hotel room Its the complete opposite of my first impression of Istanbul when I landed almost 48 hours earlier The drive into the city revealed a peaceful cityscape emerging through a hazy sunrise a pink wash of ancient buildings dotted with minarets standing astride the peninsula that juts out into the Bosphorus Strait A 20 minute drive took us through Constantinople the ancient capital and over a large estuary known as the Golden Horn into Beyoglu district the European side formerly known as Pera Here much of the architecture dates back to the 1800s when European merchants created grand embassies stately homes and posh boutiques Today its the art entertainment and nightlife center of Istanbul Our destination is the Pera Palace Hotel the oldest international hotel in the city set on a charming winding hillside It was built in 1892 to offer refined lodgings to passengers of the Orient Express the legendary train of luxury and intrigue that linked the great capitals of Paris and Constantinople The 126 year old grande dame has lost none of her pizzazz The entrance boasts a lavish display of rich marbles and luxurious furnishings An irresistible urge to peek into the chamber beyond reveals an enormous double story Rococo lounge the Kubbeli Saloon extending back past a grand piano library bar area and onto an alfresco patio I can easily picture illustrious guests like Ernest Hemingway and Alfred Hitchcock meeting over whisky and cigars New arrivals are given a special treat a lift in Europes oldest working elevator The antique carriage sits majestically in wroughtiron framework gracefully rising five stories through the heart of a grand circular staircase Inside Room 411 youll find a tribute to one of the hotels most famous guests the doyenne of British crime fiction Agatha Christie It is believed she wrote her 1932 classic novel Murder on the Orient Express during one of her stays and this room now features a library of Christies novels a work