It's just past 11 p.m. on a stifling Friday night when a group of young revellers bursts into song after a mariachi band in a packed bar serenades their guest of honour with a Spanish-flavoured rendition of Happy Birthday .
Down the street, a velvet rope and well-dressed doormen mark the entrance to a massive nightclub, ready to turn away anyone who doesn't meet the fashionable dress code.
Steps away, young people rifle through racks of impressive fashions at high-end boutiques that welcome shoppers until midnight.
Yes, this is Istanbul. According to David Judson, the editor of the Turkish Daily News, “it's the most interesting city in Europe on a Friday or Saturday night.”
True, only part of Istanbul actually resides in Europe, the rest in Asia. And though it has been anointed the European Cultural Capital for 2010, Turkey is not a member of the European Union. In fact, its bid for official status has added to political unrest in old Byzantium: Last July, two explosions killed 17 people and injured more than 150 in a residential area; a few weeks earlier, three officers were killed after gunmen opened fire at the U.S. consulate. The country's security reputation suffered another blow this month when dozens of people were killed at a wedding in the often-dangerous southeast, in what was described as a family feud. Foreign Affairs Canada warns travellers to exercise a “high degree of caution” in the country and that international and domestic terrorist groups post a “significant” threat.
But those are the headlines. On Istanbul's Istiklal Avenue – the name means “independence” in Turkish – the beat goes on. It's a distinctly global rhythm.
About two million locals come to this three-kilometre pedestrian strip every weekend. And while there's still a historic tram and the odd Turkish ice cream or kebab vendor here, a new generation eager to embrace Western culture is turning a once run-down district into a buzzing cosmopolitan hub.
“It's a place where you see a girl wearing an Islamic head scarf walking arm-in-arm with a girl with a nose ring and the latest Levi's jeans,” Judson says.
Not to mention a place to flash some cash. According to the latest Forbes rich list, Istanbul has the seventh highest number of billionaires in the world. Even though the global financial meltdown has whittled that number from 34 last year to 13, Istanbul still edged out the likes of Tokyo, Mumbai and Chicago. And rich Turks like to spend on Istiklal.
It's home to 360 Istanbul, for example, a restaurant in the penthouse of a 19th-century apartment building that has breathtaking panoramic views of the city and across the Bosporus strait. The menu features a creative blend of Turkish and international cuisine, such as the shish kebab “remix” of beef filet and eggplant relish or the glazed roast quail made with foie gras sauce, dried raspberry-pistachio stuffing and pomegranate apples, in addition to a selection of sushi.
Or there's the nearby Reina, arguably Istanbul's most famous club and restaurant, which can easily host more than 2,000 people. Paris Hilton, Sting and Uma Thurman have been known to drop in to one of its seven restaurants.
But they're not the only notable visitors to Turkey. Hollywood actress Eva Mendes spent a few days in the city in March. John Malkovich paid a visit last month for the International Istanbul Film Festival. And controversy erupted after Eric Watson, part-owner of New Zealand's troubled Hanover Finance, threw a lavish two-day birthday party in Istanbul last month, with guests including Kerry and Caroline Kennedy.
Of course, the most famous visitor to Istanbul was U.S. President Barack Obama, who was there last month, fulfilling his promise to visit a predominantly Muslim country in his first 100 days in office.
Betting on guests with equally lavish budgets, W Hotels opened a location in the city last May, and a month later, the Four Seasons opened its second hotel here, as well as a 2,100-square-metre spa.
Once considered the “Paris of the East” by 19th-century travellers, Istanbul shows its long history through its cobblestone streets and ancient architecture. Yet, while Istiklal Avenue is in one of the oldest areas of Istanbul, it's impossible to miss the atmosphere of urban chic that is redefining what it means to visit this city. Time Out Magazine has declared Istanbul “the most criminally underrated city in Europe” and after experiencing the city's unique embrace of old and new, it's hard not to see why.
