Feb 6, 2011 | Kadikoy

If Istanbul were New York, then Kadikoy would be Brooklyn—a middle-class enclave located across the river from the sophisticates, a place where the bridge-and-ferry crowd lives. English isn't widely spoken here, and tourist attractions and amenities are in short supply. But Kadikoy is the place to be if you want a decent rent, unpretentious and friendly neighbors, lots of restaurants and bookstores and cafes and tattoo parlors, and a premier-league football team. The woman in the video is my downstairs neighbor, Ikbal. She doesn't usually sing and dance like that, but I wish she did.