I still remember the first time I visited Kadikoy in Istanbul, more than ten years ago.  It was my first big backpacking trip, and I was giddy with excitement at being able to go all the way to Asia just by taking a short ferry ride from my hotel in Istanbul’s Sultanahmet district.

Once the novelty of exploring a new continent wore off, I quickly grew to love Kadikoy and Moda, two of the neighborhoods on the Asian side of Istanbul.  These areas just felt cool: they had quirky attractions, trendy coffeeshops, independent boutiques and young Istanbulites going about their daily lives, free from the crowds I’d previously encountered in Sultanahmet and Taskim.