The Written Word

Welcome to The Written Word

Welcome to the website of Barbara J. Isenberg, a professional freelance editor and writer based in Istanbul, Turkey. Here's how I can help you:

Editing
Editing your own work is never easy. Having a pair of trained eyes check your writing for style, punctuation, sentence structure and organization is an invaluable tool in making your copy shine. An editor can correct mistakes, fix inconsistencies and polish your writing. Still not convinced that hiring an editor can help you? Read five good reasons to hire an editor from the Editors Association of Canada.
 
Writing
Barbara Isenberg is also a freelance writer specializing in travel, food and culture about Istanbul and Turkey. Check out her blog, Turkish Muse, where she writes about life as an expatriate in Izmir, Turkey, or see some of her recently published work below.

To contact Barbara, send an email to bjisenberg@gmail.com.

3 Days in Istanbul

"3 Days in Istanbul" published by Askmen on 9 June 2009

Read the article online here or below:

Population	12-16 million
Languages spoken	Turkish
Currency	1.00 Turkish Lira (TL) = 0.64 USD
Average temperature	Summer: 72F; winter: 43F
High season	May to September

Istanbul is a city unlike any other in the world. Straddling two continents and both the east and the west, the city is a blend of two cultures, two histories and two identities. Three days isn’t long to explore this exotic cultural epicenter, but we’ve come up with a guide that will leave you freshly scrubbed (Turkish bath anyone?), maybe a little hung over (what with all the Raki being poured) and even bearing a gift for your girlfriend from the Grand Bazaar. Yes, gentlemen, we’ve got you covered.

day 1: prisoner at the four seasons

After landing at Atatürk Airport, catch a cab to Sultanahmet (about 25 TL) to admire a view of the Bosphorus Strait as you wind your way along the seafront. If you’re after a hostel that’s cheap and cheerful, stay at the Mavi Guest House. If five-star luxury hotels are more your game, check in to the Four Seasons Istanbul, a former prison-turned-designer hotel. Despite the throngs of tourists in the high season, Sultanahmet is your best base for a three-day itinerary. First, wander through the imposing Blue Mosque, so named for the thousands of blue tiles that adorn its walls.

Stroll through the ancient Hippodrome where games and sport, particularly horse racing, used to take place during the Ottoman Empire. Take a tour of the awe-inspiring Hagia Sophia (the Church of the Divine Wisdom) and marvel at its 30 million tiny gold mosaic tiles. Next, head underground at the Basilica Cistern, where a scene in the James Bond movie From Russia with Love was filmed. Then spend a few hours touring the Grand Bazaar and get lost in a maze of carpet, jewelry and silk shops to find the perfect pashmina for your girlfriend or backgammon set for dad.

There’s not much of a bar scene in Sultanahmet, so at night cross the Golden Horn to Taksim -- the heart of Istanbul and its nightlife center -- and head directly to Nevizade Sokak, a narrow side street off the Fish Bazaar lined with bars and meyhanes, traditional fish restaurants where live Turkish music and dancing will keep you entertained till the wee hours. Order a bottle of raki, the licorice-flavored liquor that you mix with water, at Neyle Meyle, and watch the evening unfurl.

day 2: drinking, dancing and sports

After a classic Turkish breakfast of cheese, olives, tomatoes, and fresh bread, walk down the hill from Sultanahmet to Eminönü. Here, you’ll find the Spice Bazaar, also called the Egyptian Bazaar, a much smaller version of the Grand Bazaar that predominantly sells, not surprisingly, spices. It also specializes in lokum, or Turkish delight, which you can sample for free. Invest in a jar of so-called “Turkish Viagra” which has as its slogan: “5 Times in the Night!” After a lunch at a café by the bazaar, take a ferry ride up the Bosphorus Strait and admire the city’s skyline and mansions along the waterfront. A voyage from Eminönü to Anadolu Kavagı takes about 4.5 hours (with plenty of time for a fresh fish and rakı lunch) near the Black Sea.

After freshening up after a day on the water, head out for a five-star dinner at 360, so named because of its stunning panoramic views of Istanbul. Make sure you’re dressed to kill -- the restaurant attracts the city’s premier partygoers. After dinner, stroll down Istiklal Caddesi -- the pedestrian-only street lined with restaurants, shops, bars, and clubs -- to Babylon, the city’s hippest live concert venue that hosts live reggae, hip hop, electronic, and dance music.

There’s only one sport that matters in this city: futbol (soccer), and if you want to catch a game, Saturday night is the best time to do so. If you don’t want to cough up the lira for a ticket to a live game, park yourself at one of the many bars with a TV on Nevizade Sokak street and cheer on your new favorite team with liters of Efes, the No. 1 Turkish beer.

Only one more day: We’ll help you make the best of it. Read on.....

day 3: the original spa treatment

After an action-packed two days, enjoy a leisurely breakfast and then go for the ultimate Istanbul experience: a Turkish bath. These are the original spas, and don’t expect coddling or come-ons; this is strictly about steam and scrubbing, and it’s about as manly a spa as you could imagine. Get yourself squeaky clean at the Cemberlitas Hamam. Once you’re all rested up, take a walk through the neighborhood of Karakoy to Tophane to a tree-lined nargile (water pipe) garden and smoke apple-infused tobacco while sipping tea.

When the sun sets, spend your last evening in Istanbul at either Balans, a nightclub and microbrewery that rotates its offerings of dark, pilsner and wheat beer, or Reina, the city’s No. 1 club to see and be seen.

Who says you can’t see the best of Istanbul in three days?

tips for the trip

• Average price of a beer: 5 TL
• Watch out for: Don’t get suckered into paying a so-called “baggage fee” on your cab ride from the airport to the city. Just go by the meter, which should say gündüz (day) during the day and gece (night) between midnight and 5 a.m. when rates are 50% higher.
• What not to miss: You shouldn’t miss partying on Nevizade Sokak in Taksim, the epicenter of the city’s nightlife scene.
• What not to wear: Though Istanbul is a European city, the dress code can be conservative. Don’t broadcast your foreignness by donning tank tops or shorts above your knee.
• Before you leave: Check out MyMerhaba.com to see what events will be going on in Istanbul during your trip.

Destination Istanbul

My article for AskMen.com, an online men's magaine published my Istanbul article for their inaugural feature "Top 29: Best Cities to Live in 2009".

Here's the article. See the full spread here.

The AM Take

Pub. 2009-04-19

With amazing iconic architecture and some of the world’s best street food, Istanbul is a must-visit for global citizens. Turkey is an emerging force in Europe and its population is dynamic and diverse. Some of the hottest beaches in the world are in Turkey, and Istanbul is a great base from which to explore the area.

Why You Should Visit

A measure of this city's appeal to tourists

AskMen.com score: 82

Istanbul is one of those world-class cities that is almost too good to be true. If blending cultures is the future, then Istanbul is way ahead of the curve. This is one of the few places on earth where the East and West are at home together, and the physical manifestations of the blend are exquisite: beautiful people, architecture and art. Eating and drinking aren’t just necessities here, they’re an art form and a passion. If you can’t find a bar in Istanbul to fit your taste, you won’t find one anywhere else in the world, and the country’s most popular and famous drink, raki, an anise-flavoured liquor, isn’t called “lion’s milk” by the locals for nothing. The city boasts no end of luxurious eating and drinking establishments, including the hip 5 Kat Restaurant, run by the glamorous independent film actress Yasemin Alkaya.

Why You Should Live Here

A measure of this city's appeal as a place of residence

AskMen.com score: 73

Istanbul is sizzling and everybody, especially the 15 million people who call the city home, know it. The thriving city that straddles two continents has been attracting travellers and expatriates for hundreds of years, and 2009 is the best time to discover the city for yourself. Designated the European Capital of Culture for 2010, Istanbul is pressing forward with about £430 million worth of urban renewal and expansion projects over the next three years as it spruces up its museums, mosques, churches and palaces, and opens some historical buildings to the public for the first time. Getting to these new attractions will be easier too, especially when the city finishes its latest of many expansions of the underground metro system.

Climbing the ruins of ancient civilizations in Hasankeyf, Turkey

With a history spanning nine civilizations and stretching back 10,000 years, Hasankeyf is a site you’d be mad to skip on a trip to south-eastern Turkey. Not many tourists get down to these parts but for those that do, the rewards are phenomenal. Beginning at the bottom of the ancient city, hike your way up the meandering cobblestone paths and duck into the old stone caves where people once lived and worshiped. Kick a soccer ball around with the local kids on your way up to the top where you can command a supreme view of the countryside. On your way back to town, enjoy a toasted cheese sandwich and a tea while admiring the handmade wool carpets for sale.

See this piece on Trazzler here.

"Local knowledge"

"Local Knowledge"

Published 1 August, 2008

Jazeera Airways Inflight Magazine

Ramadan in Istanbul is nothing short of spectacular, especially if you have the chance to attend the nightly carnival in the Hippodrome in Sultanahmet. It’s great at weekends after dark when thousands of families descend upon the park to gorge sugary sweets, ice cream and fruit.

See the write-up here.

"The first Istanbul"

First published for Everywhere Magazineonline on 20 December 2007 (see online version here.) To see a PDF version of the printed magazine complete with photos I took, go here.

You’re not going to find the latest European fashions in Fatih.

You’re not going to come across any of Istanbul’s hippest bars either.

And you probably won’t find any five-star hotels or restaurants.

But if you’re willing to take a chance on one of Istanbul’s most conservative districts and disregard the advice of some guidebooks that consider Fatih completely skippable, you’ll be surprised by the beauty of its buildings, the charm of its markets and the warmth of its people.

"Raptor Center Wants to Expand"

SOME CLAIM EAGLE VALLEY IS A BUSINESS, NOT A NONPROFIT

Friday, June 22, 2007

Section: MAIN NEWS

Edition: main Page: 1A

BY BARBARA J. ISENBERG

The Wichita Eagle

Among wheat fields in Cheney, the owners of a raptor rehabilitation center are locked in a property rights fight with neighbors who say the center prevents them from enjoying a country lifestyle.

Ken and Susan Lockwood, owners of the Eagle Valley Raptor Center on 343rd Street West, want to build more pens for birds of prey and bring in more people to see them.

They say they provide a community service and are entitled to use their property as a nonprofit raptor center.

Neighboring landowners say the Lockwoods run a business, not a nonprofit. They say Ken Lockwood interferes with their rights by asking them not to shoot guns or fireworks that would disturb the birds. And they don't like occasional bus tours, or the prospect of people camping at the center.

They would like the raptor center to move. But the only issue before Sedgwick County commissioners next Wednesday will be whether the center can expand.

"Ark City Man to Face Trial; Grisly Details Heard"

Friday, June 1, 2007

Section: MAIN NEWS

Edition: main Page: 1A

BY BARBARA J. ISENBERG, The Wichita Eagle

Editor's note: This story contains graphic material and may not be suitable for all readers.

WINFIELD - A trial will be held for Justin Eugene Thurber, the man accused of killing 19-year-old college student Jodi Sanderholm in January.

Cowley County District Judge Jim Pringle ruled Thursday that state prosecut ors showed enough evidence during a two-day preliminary hearing for Thurber to be held over for trial.

The public also heard graphic testimony Thursday in the hearing, which Attorney General Paul Morrison later said was based on circumstantial evidence .

Investigators plan to continue collecting evidence up until the trial begins, he said.

"This is a mosaic, if you will," Morrison said. "There's still a lot of play in this case."

"Witnesses saw Jodi, suspect"

Thursday, May 31, 2007
Section: MAIN NEWS
Edition: main
Page: 1A
BY BARBARA J. ISENBERG
The Wichita Eagle

WINFIELD - Two witnesses say they saw Jodi Sanderholm with her accused killer on the day the 19-year-old college student from Arkansas City was killed.

Others say they saw Justin Eugene Thurber alone in several locations out in the country with Sanderholm's black Dodge Stratus the afternoon she disappeared.

Testimony presented Wednesday in a preliminary hearing confirmed several of the rumors that swirled through Arkansas City after her death - including that Thurber's father picked him up on U.S. 166 the day Jodi Sanderholm died.

Attorney General Paul Morrison called 18 witnesses during a seven-hour session of a preliminary hearing Wednesday in an attempt to convince Cowley County District Judge Jim Pringle that there is enough evidence to order Thurber to stand trial for capital murder. The hearing continues today.

"A snake with no name -- and a yak, a flamingo"

FRIDAY, MAY 25, 2007
Section: MAIN NEWS
Edition: MAIN
Page: 1A
BY BARBARA J. ISENBERG
THE WICHITA EAGLE

Ever wonder why some animals at the Sedgwick County Zoo have names and others don't?

Some, like gorillas, are easier to name than others, like a flock of flamingos. The 17 Humboldt penguins in the exhibit that opens today do not all have names.

And although the zoo sometimes offers naming rights for animals to raise money or market the zoo, some zoologists discourage naming. They say people who get too attached to an animal by name may view it more as a cute pet than as an animal threatened in the wild.

Even if an animal does have a name, not all zoo staff may call it by that name.

"When I'm talking to my staff, and one keeper says, 'Jimmy isn't feeling well,' I don't know who he's talking about," said curator of birds Joe Barkowski. "When we're speaking to each other across the zoo, if somebody says, 'Jimmy didn't eat his meds today,' the staff doesn't know who that is."

"County jail rates could cost Wichita $3 million a year"

Thursday, May 3, 2007
Section: MAIN NEWS
Edition: main
Page: 1A
BY BARBARA J. ISENBERG
The Wichita Eagle

Wichita may try to challenge Sedgwick County's decision to charge an hourly rate for inmates booked on municipal charges at the county jail.

City Attorney Gary Rebenstorf said he does not think the county has the authority to charge the 20 cities that use the county jail.

Wednesday's decision by the Sedgwick County Commission to charge cities a fee when they put someone in jail could cost the city about $3 million a year.

"I think now we need to get a copy of the resolution and see what they have adopted and take a look at it from a legal standpoint and see what it means," Rebenstorf said. "Then we'll advise the (city) council and see where they want to go."

Starting Jan. 1, cities in Sedgwick County will be charged $2.09 an hour to house inmates booked on municipal charges. The fee could net the county about $3.6 million, which would go into the county's general fund.