Thought I'd give this another try...

I am still on holiday from Fodors, but do not want you to feel neglected. So will respond :
- Some general info : museums will keep regular days and hours.
- commuter ferries will be on weekend/Sunday/holiday schedules.
- shops will close only half of first day of the Bayram, but grand bazaar and spice bazaar may be closed longer.
- restaurants will continue as usual.

- Some of istanbul residents will leave to go to their home towns, villages and others on vacation. The trafic patterns will change. rush hours will be related to Bosphorus coast and bridge crossings for family/friend visits and eating out.

- There may not be many cultural events like classic music, jazz concerts but possibly more Turkish music or pop concerts.

- Standard museums will be crowded with locals from the periphery or outside Istanbul.
- Art museums and exhibitions will not be crowded.
- Cheaper Bosphorus tour boats will be crowded.
- Upscale areas like Bebek and Nisantasi will be lovely to visit.

Turkey is a very differentiated society, mainly based on income and social background. Second generation money easily considers themselves part of an illusive aristocracy but may still shun some areas, restaurants and a particular life style.

there is a large rift between political islamists whose women wear a specific type of head covering called turban, like a uniform, (It is as if they all have pony tails underneath that. But they actually have a false cloth or plastic thing which shapes it.) and modern women who will do their best to follow the latest fashions depending on their income levels.

there are also a few bohemian youngsters, artsy, intellectual, interesting, but unfortunately hard to meet except at cheaper classical music concerts, film festivals, etc. You can see some at beyoglu.

Cihangir is the more chique bohemian area with many expats. It is pleasant to visit for the cakes at savoy patisseria, the cafes, the wines at La Cave, and the salvaged debris at shops which some may consider antiques.

I have to admit that your Chicago background and the amount of info on your profile required me to give all his info.
You can ask for more, if you wish.

Thanks very much, otherchelebi. I appreciate the tourist info, but more appreciate the insights.

I knew almost nothing about Turkey except that my university colleagues vigorously encouraged us to travel there, so I started to learn. I now know a bit more, but still need to learn quite a lot before we arrive. So, I will most probably, indeed, ask for more. We like to attempt to "live like a local" when we travel, as much as one can naively do in two weeks, and understanding the culture is key to approaching that goal.

But I will respect your time and conference-going and try to wait until you are back from "holiday" -- philosophy is serious business.

By the way, it's been in the 90s and dry as dust in Chicago for the past month. Looks like it's going to be a long summer here.

Looking forward to future answers.

I've been reading about the fireworks at the Bosphorus Bridge on Republic Day, and have seen some impressive examples from past years on YouTube. I infer that the best viewing is from Ortakoy, but also infer that the crowds there will be cheek by jowl and transport will be jampacked. Which might be fun if one goes in with that expectation and mindset.

Is the fireworks show as impressive as it seems? If so, is it worth the "hassle" of Ortakoy, or are there other vantage points that are more tourists-who-don't-really-know-what-they're-doing-friendly? Am I correct in thinkking that this is a quintessential celebration of the day, as Fourth of July fireworks shows are in the United States? This seems to be a happy, if unplanned on our part, coincidence during our time in Istanbul and I'd like to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the holiday.

We are arriving in Istanbul on the 27th of October as well. I had read it was a holiday on the 29th but did not realize it was such a big deal. This could certainly work either for us or against us. My question is given the potential confusion would one place or another be better to base ourselves. We have not yet booked hotel. I too like to "live like a local." I prefer a hotel for this particular trip however. I am curious as well about the fireworks question. Looking forward to OC's response.

The fireworks started about 15 years ago and got bigger and brighter and longer until last year. Then, they were stopped last year, supposedly because terrorists had attacked a military station near the Iraqi border and killed a number of security personnel a day or two before the 29th.

some columnists said this was the fundamentalists deciding that celebrating republic Day is a secular fete and should have no place in a fast being islamicized country.

We shall find out this year.

If the one from 2010 is repeated, it will be fabulous.

Here are some areas for a good view :

close by : Kabatas, Uskudar, Besiktas, Kuzguncuk, Beylerbeyi, Cengelkoy (public)

Further away : Camlica, Nakkas Tepe, in Asia (public)

cafes, tea gardens : Besiktas, Kuleli/Cengelkoy, Kuzguncuk.

Expensive Hotels : Four Seasons Bosphorus, Ciragan palace, kempinsky, Radisson Blue, Sumahan for best views, Swissotel, Marmara Taksim next; Ritz, Ceylan Intercontinental third.

restaurants : La Maison (Besiktas), Feriye (ortakoy), Hanedan (besiktas), Anjelik, ismet baba (kuzguncuk), Iskele (cengelkoy), Rigel (Cengelkoy), Sed hotel restaurant, Ayaspasa (100 meters from our home, below the hill)

Come to think of it Cheya residence, Ayaspasa, top floor duplex apartment and the sea view rooms of Opera Hotel, Gumussuyu will also have excellent views.

The following are the photographs I took from our balcony in 2010. By luck Aduchamp was visiting us and he also took some excellent photos but I am not sure how much of them he made public on Fodors. The fact that they are posted under my wife's name just shows my love, devotion and respect for her and not her greed.

I forgot to mention that the fireworks may start as early as 7PM and as late as 9PM. I suspect that the municipality will advise the hour sometime close to the date.

As usual, OC, you're a wealth of information (as well as a gentleman). We will be staying in an apartment on Turnacibasi in Beyoglu at that time, and Kabatas and Bestikas seem to be relatively close (I am still learning my geography).

One question which will display my ignorance of Turkish culture. You mention several hotels and restaurants with good views. I assume one would need to be a guest of any given hotel to use it as a viewing site? Or are there public areas that are used for this purpose? And I also assume that one would need to go to dinner near show time (as opposed to languishing over dessert...) and that reservations at prime locations would be hard to get?

And, I'm interested in why you think they were stopped last year. I detect a wee bit of skepticism about the "columnists."

Thanks very much, OC!

I forgot to give the site of my photos :

http://travel.webshots.com/album/578943996SHJrhJ

The hotels I mentioned have restaurants or bars on their roofs or rooms with view. You can watch with just a drink at some like the Marmara.

It is not skepticism. I strongly fear the islamisation of this country. In fact I gave a speech to that effect at the University of Denver, my old alma mater some years ago. Now, it is getting to be worst than pure islamisation, with the involvement in Syria. There is also strong sectarianism.

OC those are some of the most amazing fireworks I have ever seen. Thank you for sharing with us. I am so curious about what is happening there politically. Currently reading A Peace to end all Peace by David Fromkin. I am learning so much about the area, and fear for the future. We have many friends who have warned us, "visit now in 5 years you won't be able to." Curious if you feel that way?? Very much looking forward to visiting such a magnificent city. Thank you again for all the pearls of wisdom.

I can only echo kmh7's comments and agree with the sentiments, and fears.