Istakal Cad at night is an amazing scene, and it is not to be missed. Be careful however to plan your route back. At midnight, we found ourselves a bit stranded. The Tunel was shut down, and there didn't seem to be an easy way to get a bus back across to sultanahmet. We should have cabbed it, but instead decided to walk. It was a long walk down some very dark streets (with some nervous moments), back to the bridge, and on to the tramway (we caught the last one!) on the other side back to Sultanahmet. It was not a walk women should take alone. So, if you're staying in Sultanahmet, either be prepared to take a cab ride home (and potentially be ripped off), or leave early while public transportation is still feasable.

One of the anchors of the square is the modern, five star hotel, the Marmara. Your eyes will also come to rest on the ubiquitous McDonald arches. There are also a couple of notable monuments at opposite ends of the square: one is the Ataturk Cultural Center, where various concerts are held including the International Summer Festival and the other is the Republic Monument (scroll all the way down to see the picture and text) which dates from the early 1920's.

The city's metro has one of its terminals under the square.

There are many benches which welcome Sunday newspaper readers, young mothers with their charges, and lovers alike.

This is also the turnaround point for the red tram which is the only vehicle permitted on Istiklal Street on Sundays. By the way, the best means of getting to this place is to take a bus. It's cheap, fast, and you can make it from Europe to Asia in about twenty minutes. We had great fun watching the driver negotiate the streets with the skill of a race driver. Live dangerously!