On hot summer nights in Istanbul, a key element is a possibility for open air, with spectacular views and a cool breeze. The following 5 places are a variety of Istanbul spots, where the rooftop adds great value.

Dogzstar

Dogzstar (www.) is run by people who are passionate about live music and giving their costumer new experiences. The first small version of Dogzstar was in a small back alley and was one of the only truly underground styled music clubs and bars in the city.

The upgrade to the new Dogzstar brought along a large dancefloor, a great live stage and a rooftop terrace overlooking the city. In the above image you can see the Galatasaray High School and the 360 Club in the upper right area. 

The terrace is decorated like a red light district brothel and in the very late night with many Dogz Juice's and Efe's beers under the belt, naughty girls and boys live it up like the there was no tomorrow.

Dogzstar has been showcasing many of Istanbul's best DJ's, such as the above DJ Taylan. However, the main focus is on live music and finding young new talent that usually has a hard time finding spots where they showcase new talent. It is located on Kartal Sokak no.5 right off the main walking street Istiklal, close to the Galatasaray Square.

360 Istanbul

Essentially it is all about the view at 360 Istanbul on Istiklal Caddesi, but South African-born chef Mike Norman's global cuisine also takes you to higher grounds. The cherry marinated duck might just be some of the best duck I ever had. It brought back memories of childhood Christmas dinners and while overlooking the city sipping some of the delightful house wine it is worth every Lira you spend. Yes, it is rather expensive! 

The inside restaurant is a lively area where they in the evening showcase live music, DJ's and local talent.

Find out more about 360 here. 

Peyote 

At Peyote you don't need to take it (...peyote that is) to get high, they actually have a lovely rooftop with a small bar. Peyote also have a small kitchen where they make great snacks and other eatable things that go perfect with an Efes beer and a shared bottle of Raki. 

Peyote is also one of the Istanbul's main spots for live music and most of the city's music scene plays here on a regular basis. One of the house bands are Replikas, that can be seen in the above poster.

Balance Tonique 

Balance Tonique is a club venue with both DJ's and live music. It is located in the heart of Istanbul's main club- and bar area around Balo Street. You have a great view over the below street or the stars and half moon in the sky above from the large outdoor bar area while mingling with the lovely loyals.  

The place is also known for its special theme nights, including Michael Jackson karaoke nights and record label events with international known live acts.

Araf 

Getting its name from the imaginary land between Heaven and Hell, Araf is a hot spot for live Balkan Beat, Gypsy music, Oriental Blues, Turkish Folk and pop music on a rotating schedule. There are also DJ's in the weekends playing everything from salsa to hip hop and from Balkan rhytms to punk. It is jam packed and you can be sure that dancing is a key element at this little gem of a place, of course also with an open air option on Balo Street 32.

Dilara Sabra Cadabra is a food magician living in Istanbul.  Recently she opened a new restaurant that she calls Abracadabra, right on the Bosphorus water front. She has previously run her own restaurants along with doing consulting and creative styling for kitchens all over the city.

Dilara is know for her traditional Turkish cousine with a mashup of flavors she found on her many trips around the world. She travelled and lived in India, South America, the Middle East, Europe, Asia and did a apprenticeship at the Tribecca Grill Restaurant in New York in 2001.

Dilara Erbay's lovely personality and charm shines out over the delightful restaurant as she roams the kitchen with a loud laughter.

The food is displayed and served on large wooden paddles, placed right on the table. Each board gets a small food installation with a variety of dishes, snacks, sauces and drinks.

Located right by the water with an outdoor terras, the combination of the breeze from the Bosphorus, the hot Istanbul summer and the magic dishes served from Cadabra's kitchen is pure joy.

One can almost smell the garlic oil from the above snails and with the local beer Efes, some cheese, some nuts and a Raki on the side makes a tear come to the eye. 

View from the top window of the restaurant overlooking Bosphorus and the bridge, connecting the East to the West.

Dilara Erbay also has a degree from the Economical and Management Sciences from the Galatasaray University. Her thesis was on “The Role of Non-Government Organizations in Turkish Political Life, and the Bergama Event”. In other words, if you come to visit Dilara at her place, you will be able to talk to her about other things than the spectacular view and what you are eating.

Links:

www.abracadabra-ist.com

www.dilaraerbay.com 

Facebook Group

Copenhagen is gearing up for the summer and the girls seems prettier and the boys more smiling. The bar named after Dolly's song Jolene that was previous located in Copenhagen's Nørrebro district, has moved to the ultra cool Copenhagen Meatpacking district. It is strategically placed next to Copenhagen hippest gallery V1 and hot spot Karriere Bar. It is also surrounded by new galleries and other hot spots in the making.

Jolene is run by a crew of Icelandic people and in collaboration with some of Copenhagens most interesting DJ's and artists, who also have created some of the interior design, DJ booth and installations. On the warm summer nights in Copenhagen, this very area will be a safe spot to go to if you want the full spectra of what the city can offer in night culture. 

$ $ $ $ $ $ $

 

Now that the DOLLAR is at its lowest in your generation of shopping,
the deals you can make in New York can almost pay for the cost of your
ticket. If you have any way of proving that you work in whole-sale,
you should stroll around the whole-sale area between 5th Avenue and
9th Avenue, from 25th to 39th. I would not set my foot on 5th Avenue
to shop, but for serious power shoppers with a platinum credit card,
this might be paradise. The below are places that either will give you
a good shopping experience or potential for a serious bargain for
stuff you never knew you needed. However, I also want to warn you about going through the customs once you are back (in for example Denmark), since if you have bought too many things, your government most likely wants you to pay 25% in taxes of any imported goods. If they pick you up while walking out of the terminal, you might get busted and not only do you pay the TAX fee, you pay twice as much of the TAX fee in penalty. Just so you know. I will not give you tips how to avoid it, just think about it...

Century 21

Best department store in the Manhattan, right next to Ground Zero.
Here you can get top designer brands cheaper than you expect.
22 Courtland Street
http://www.c21stores.com

Apple Store SoHo & Uptown

The SOHO store is housed inside an old post office, and is good if you
are in urgent need for an apple product when you are downtown.
However, the uptown 5th Avenue location that is open 24 hours is worth
the visit just for the experience, even if you are not a apple user.
The square glass box entrance that pops out of the street like a
window into the underground technological future of mankind, reminds
me of the pyramid at the Louvre Museum in Paris. But square. Get your
latest I-gadget or pimp your mac product with the latest on the
market, as it is here you will find it first. People stand in lines in
the morning to be able to pay for the latest "I" this or that.
103 Prince St or 767 Fifth Ave.

B&H - Photo and Video

Entering the B&H empire is another experience worth trying out. The
place is run by Orthodox Hasidic Jews living in south Williamsburg,
in full old school gear, great hats, curly sideburns and long black coats.
It is really worth going onto the website and check for any of your needs,
in both the new and second hand product catalogue. It is also an experience to chat with one of friendly the guys on the floor. Just ask them what you want, may it be the latest smallest and cheapest digital camera, or a video camera to make your next feature film. You will stand in lines and wonder why there is baskets floating above your head like some kind of Santa Claus workshop, but its good fun and when you walk out with a brand new toy, it is better than christmas.
420 9th Avenue
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/ 
read more about B&H on this blog, where the images are also from 

FAO Schwarz

You are greeted by a jolly man in red uniform, and as you walk let the
inner child in you pop out. If you are with a child, let them run wild
and don't hold them back from exploring the whole places three story
building.

 

The oversized piano featured in the Tom Hanks film "Big" is good fun,
even if you are not a kid, but it might be painful if you are a piano
teacher. There are strange live looking babies that are held out to
you by young women in nurses outfits, incouraging young girls to take
care of babies and if they are lucky, become nurses. There is story
telling time in the basement for the smaller kids by a real princess
and whole rooms dedicated to everything: Starwars, Princess, Barbie,
dolls, cars and fluffy animals. For some extra time in a line, you can
get your present wrapped in FAO gift wrapping paper, so the one who
recieving your gift can see where you actually got it.
This is important stuff in New York.
767 Fifth Avenue
www.fao.com

Strand Book Store

the above image of Strand by newyorkdailyphoto.blogspot.com

"18 Miles of Books!" for your book collecting pleasures. Back in the
70's many well known artists, writers and musicians worked and used
the store as the main meeting spot in the daytime, such as Patti Smith
and Tom Verlaine. In the 1970s, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist
George F. Will wrote, "the eight miles worth saving in this city are
at the corner of Broadway and 12th Street. They are the crammed
shelves of the Strand Book Store." Ask one the staff for any of your
book needs, and you will get a tour of the place that is organized in
ways that can seem hard for most to grasp.
Their used book selection is like going into a gold mine, the
accessories, T-shits, book bags are must have items, and the prices are not bad
828 Broadway, at 12th St.
http://www.strandbooks.com

Mondo Kim's

The PUNK staff take pride in treating you for what you are; may it be an annoying eurotrashie with no REAL understanding of film,
a phony looking adult, or wanna-be-New Yorker.

The wide selection of new and second hand vinyls, videos and dvd's are like
entering heaven. Most subgenres of film are neatly arranged, by what country they are from, directors or sexual orientation.

This is also the place to go and get underground mixtapes by local rappers. If you are all out of inspiration in your
local ghetto, buy some tapes from the cutting edge of New York and bring it back to your hood claiming it yours. We'll its been
done before, and a well used trick in the art world. They are so punk, they can't even be bothererd with a working website.
6 St. Marks P

Other Music

Greetings all music nerds. You ask for it; they got it, with a smile and no attitudes.
Check out their website for the latest stuff that might be cheaper to carry home with you, than ordering it online.
15 E 4th St.

THE WORLDS LARGEST MOOSE FROM THE LAND OF IKEA AND ABBA 

What do you do when an area is about to become depopulated and the few people living within thousand of square miles are old, with kids that moved out of the house about 40 years ago? We'll, Thorbjörn Holmlund from Arvidsjaur in northern part of Sweden came up with the idea to build a 47 meter (148-foot) tall moose. The idea has now become reality and Mr. Holmlund is selling shares to investors that are going like a smörgåsbord in Vegas.

It will be buildt in wood, and like a Trojan Horse be put into the great landscape of northern Sweden bringing tourists in from all over the world.
You can take a virtual tour throughout the Moose here.
The question we might ask is: Will the parts of the construction come in flat boxes, with a instruction sheet, screws and a Allen wrench?

The giant Moose will house a restaurant, conference halls, concert spaces, exhibitions spaces and a observatory with a view that might beat The Statue of Liberty's torch observatory. Another detail is that the visitors get up into the Moose through a elevator inside of giant pine three.

Other projects of this kind that truly have changed the remote areas of northern Sweden is The Ice Hotel.
Since the hotel opened, it has brought in tourists and jet setters from all over the world, enjoying having it on the rocks at all times.

In 1884, the "Colossal Elephant" was buildt in Coney Island, NY. The Coney Island elephant cost $250,000 to build and stood 125 feet high (7 stories) and had 31 hotel rooms. Her legs were 60 feet in circumference (one leg housed a cigar store, another had a diorama, and the 2 others had circular staircases). The elephant faced the sea and gave visitors to the observatory great ocean vistas through slits in the elephant's eyes. You could go to the top for a full 360 degree 50 mile view. At night, searchlights flashed erratically from her eyes. It was advertised as the 8th Wonder of the World. Unfortunately, it was destroyed by fire in 1896 after only 12 years of operation.