Istanbul

Activities:

• Kadikoy - on the Asian side.  You can take a ferry and there are a ton of antique shops, small cafes, vintage shops and bars.  Definitely make a stop here, it is often overlooked. The antique shops are all on Tellalzade Sk.
• Day trip to Buyukada- take the Turyol ferry to the largest of the Princes Islands.  Rent a bike and spend the day at Eskibag beach
• Hammam - treat yourself to a hammam experience.  Highly recommend the very old, very beautiful and very clean Cagaloglu Hamami
• Çukurcuma shopping area - cute shops and streets
• Istiklal Caddesi - you will definitely walk through it some time, a large pedestrian street with stores and restaurants
• Sentetik Sezar Vintage Store - good vintage store off Istiklal Caddesi
• By Retro - massive vintage and costume store, definitely worth going to
• Çiçek Pasajı - passage of restaurants, a tad bit like Little Italy
• Grand Bazaar - old, massive maze of vendors, definitely worth going to
• Spice Bazaar - pretty bazaar with spices and food
• Blue Mosque - large mosque.  You must be dressed properly or they give you a cloak to wear :)
• Hagia Sofia - very beautiful and interesting building that has been both a church and a mosque at times.   If there is a line, you can pay a guide to let you cut the line. It was worth it to us because it was 90 degrees that day and Turkey is cheap overall
• Basilica Cistern - a disappointment when we went because the water had been drained out.  Check before you go to see if the water is back in it, and it will likely be more worthwhile
• Serdar-ı Ekrem - narrow street of boutiques by the Galata Tower

Food:

• Don’t eat any produce or fruits.  Lots of people get sick from this
• Simit - delicious bagels!  Try with a cooked egg in the middle
• Ali Ocakbaşı restaurant  - nice views of the river, mezze plates and kebaps. Make a res.  The stairway up is super creepy
• Yeni Lokanta- really nice dinner restaurant, off Iskitlal Caddesi, fusion type food
• Namli- delicious deli / grocery style store with traditional turkish breakfast and sandwiches.  Right by the ferries
• Çiya Sofrası -was on Chef's table, was ok. Turkish food.  On a fun street of sidewalk seating restaurants and shops.
• 49 Cukurcuma - pizza place in a nice area
• Lokal eat&drınk - restaurant right next to Cagaloglu Hamami

Drink:

• Raki - licorice flavored STRONG drink
• Noh Radio - v hip bar
• Bina - spacious bar in Moda/Kadikoy

Other:

• I do not recommend taking cabs there.  The drivers are insane and there is plenty of public transport - trams and ferries are great.