The last two times I visited Istanbul I chose to stay in Besiktas, a very lively neighborhood on the Bosporus. Running around in the narrow streets of this area you don’t feel like you are in a big city. There are supermarkets, little shops, bakeries, restaurants and a dozen teahouses and coffee shops. I was there both times in winter and still people were sitting outside under the heaters sipping their tea as if it was normal, but the temperature was below zero and I was freezing my ass off!