Kim, I am sure DH and I would be so inclined. Would be the first time I've met another Fodorite! Sounds like a plan.

Five more weeks!
Becky

Thanks for your well wishes. Goes without saying that you have mine also and I think it is great that you can meet.

I am having problems with finding tickets for The Book of Mormon. Other musicals do not appear very exciting (I've already seen Chicago, Lion King, Phantom ) and Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf may be a let down after many viewings of the Liz Taylor-Burton film. However, I think we will be able to see Metamorphosis in Chicago. The plays at the Shaw festival at Niagara on the Lake all have bad reviews, so those are out.

I do not have too many Istanbul restaurant reviews on Trip Advisor but you may have some ideas if you check them.

The Book of Mormon is tough. It opens in Chicago in December and sold out through the spring in just a couple of weeks. And too bad that Porgy and Bess is closing soon; that would have been an excellent choice.

I would highly recommend Million Dollar Quartet at the Apollo Theater in Chicago if you have any interest in the early days of Rock and Roll (Elvis, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins). It's been extended about 10 times and it's usually possible to get tickets even on short notice. And there's a Lou Malnati's nearby, so you could have Chicago deep dish pizza, too!

Purdue/Becky, I am not sure how best to make a plan to meet. I have seen it done by fodorites in the past, but admit I am new to the fodor family date game. Our only firm plan at this point is the 30th IE tour. I am not sure how the holiday on the 29th will affect the city?? I think you said you were flying to Ephesus one of those days? Which day would would seem best to you and your DH? I think it will be great fun to swap travel experiences. Looking forward to it. Kim/kmh7

Kim, this is a first for me, too, so I don't know if there are any good "rules." I was looking at the FAQ to see if there's any way to privately communicate via the boards, but apparently not. I know that OC and Aduchamp have managed to connect several times, but don't know if they arranged it "in public" via the forum or some other way. Perhaps one of them can offer some advice.

We are returning to Istanbul on October 27, the day you arrive, I believe. We are visiting Ephesus on the 30th, the same day that you're eating! We then fly home on November 1. I don‘t know how the holiday (or if the holiday) will affect things, but that's just it, I don't know.

So, by process of elimination, it would seem that perhaps either the 28th or the 31st would be good choices? DH and are are looking forward to meeting, you, too!

Purdue, I think lets go 28th. I would love to hear from OC or Aduchamp about how to communicate off the thread. There must be a way?? We are looking forward to meeting you

The most private means of communicating are :

1.Give names and telephone numbers of hotels you are staying on these threads, but then you need to specify your Fodors name to the hotel reception in relation to your room.
2. become a member to Trip Advisor which provides the facility for personal messages between members.
3. To have separate mail adresses specifically for this type of communicaton utilizing names not related to your real name.(I have two which I have posted on these forums)

It just occured to me that you can also give the mobile number you have purchased in Turkey on this thread if you have bought one in Turkey.

Thank You OC, as always a wealth of information Hope your trip stateside is wonderful.
Purdue, I am on tripadvisor already under Heart2travel, lets talk there.

oops its Heart2travel07, see you on that forum

K, Kim, I'm on my way.

Thanks, OC! I knew that you would know.

Purdue / Kim,
Back from my awesome Turkey trip. Istanbul Eats tour was definitely one of the highlights. We would have never eaten at all these small eateries with fantastic food, really hole in the wall sorts without IE. We could not get Culinary Secrets and took the new 'Two Markets, Two Continents' tour. I have no way of comparing. But was really really happy with the tour and the guide and the pace. On our own, we wouldnt have spent the day exploring the asian side, so was glad the tour gave us an opportunity to do so. My baby proved to be a good sport as well.
But it is a lot of food, so dont have breakfast! Have fun.

Thanks for the update, shwets. It's good to get a first-hand recommendation. Your description of "hole in the wall" types of places is exactly what we're looking for.

I was happy with the reservation process (and the photo of the guide was a nice touch -- now we know who we're looking to meet up with), so hope that we have as good an experience as you did.

Thank you for the update shwets, My DH and I are doing the same tour. I am excited to go to places I would not have otherwise have found. Glad the baby cooperated Can't wait to see such a beautiful country!

We did the Old city tour with Amsel. We had a great time.

Will be taking the Old City tour this Monday, Oct 1st - Will report back. Some of the other choices were already booked for the dates we needed. DD and and I are looking forward to it and will take some of Shwets advice about pacing ourselves along the way.

jk1348, Can't wait to hear all about it. Keep us all posted...Kim

My daughter and I just returned from Istanbul and truly enjoyed the Old Cities tour with Istanbul Eats. There were 5 of plus "G" - he was terrific. We went back a found a few of the back alley places he had taken us to and even when back to pick up our Turkish Delight from the store he brought us to on our first day there. The book they give you was very useful and we consulted it many nights for places to go for both lunch and dinner. One disappointment was in Sofiyal 8 (I think it was) Extremely crowded - ok food but fairly rude service. He gave us a great suggestion for a wine bar up by the Galata Tower that was great fun with good wine and better mezes. It was called CenSus. Not too difficult to find once you get the lay of the land. Hope you enjoy.

Just back from Istanbul and did the Kebab Krawl with 'G' from Istanbul Eats on our last night in Turkey.

I can't recommend it highly enough. At first, it may seem a bit pricey, but for a full, unique dinner and a tour guide and transportation for 3 hours, it really can't be beat.

The Kebab Krawl takes place in Little Urfa... a neighborhood with few tourists. It was my wife and I and two other couples. We made 4 stops on the night and had 8 or 9 different dishes which we likely would not have sampled elsewhere (there was PLENTY of food). 'G' is an excellent guide and made for a fun trip.

I can't comment on the rest of their tours, but from what I can tell, you probably can't go wrong.

I know this is an old thread. I did the Beygolu Istanbul Eats tour in 2011 and can recommend that one.

I am going to Istanbul again in July 2014 and have booked the two continents/two markets tour this time.

The Beygolu tour was absolutely wonderful so I am happy to repeat the experience with one of their other tours. The also offer a cooking class and I might do that one day. I'll be in Istanbul for 3 1/2 weeks and will have plenty of time (especially since I have seen all the main sights already). I'll be doing a home exchange there.

Istanbul is truly one of the world's great cities.