Taksim Square, the largest pedestrian gathering spot in Istanbul, is the beating heart of the city.
With everything from corn sellers and beggars to Italian watches, cafes, heavy metal bars, and tattoo parlors, Taksim is a magnet for people from all walks of life at all hours of the day. Last night I went there for the first time with some of my colleague-
friends from the school: four other English teachers and a physics teacher.
We walked along Istiklal Caddesi, the main drag (a pedestrian street that is constantly filled with people at night), running into current and former students everywhere who were delighted to see their teachers out having a good time, until we came to one of the hundreds of side streets that branches off Istiklal and made our way to an outdoor dining area in front of a cafe for dinner. After bawdy talk and beers, we continued on to a heavy metal bar (yes, they actually have such things in Turkey) where the walls and the people were all clad in black and murals of red demons surrounded us. There we continued to fill ourselves wit
h good spirits and sang along to the blaring music (once they got around to the Guns 'n' Roses and ACDC), watching a giant television showing music videos in advance of the live entertainment, which didn't begin until one in the morning! We wussed out around 12:30 since we had to come in 
to work this morning for parent open house day, but a cab ride with five of us crammed into one cab singing ABBA tunes into a mostly consumed corn cob made a fitting ending to our evening of rowdiness. I think the cab driver will need therapy.
friends from the school: four other English teachers and a physics teacher.
We walked along Istiklal Caddesi, the main drag (a pedestrian street that is constantly filled with people at night), running into current and former students everywhere who were delighted to see their teachers out having a good time, until we came to one of the hundreds of side streets that branches off Istiklal and made our way to an outdoor dining area in front of a cafe for dinner. After bawdy talk and beers, we continued on to a heavy metal bar (yes, they actually have such things in Turkey) where the walls and the people were all clad in black and murals of red demons surrounded us. There we continued to fill ourselves wit
h good spirits and sang along to the blaring music (once they got around to the Guns 'n' Roses and ACDC), watching a giant television showing music videos in advance of the live entertainment, which didn't begin until one in the morning! We wussed out around 12:30 since we had to come in 
to work this morning for parent open house day, but a cab ride with five of us crammed into one cab singing ABBA tunes into a mostly consumed corn cob made a fitting ending to our evening of rowdiness. I think the cab driver will need therapy.
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