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Caf\u00e9 on Izmir’s Kordon<\/p>\n
Most visitors to the spectacular ruins of Ephesus fly into Izmir, Turkey\u2019s third largest city\u2014and hightail it out of town as fast as possible. Shame on them. And on me. Two years ago, when I wrote the Iconic Itinerary: Turkey, I suggested that daytrippers to the ancient Roman metropolis overnight nearby in the postage-stamp size village of Sirence, with its sweet old farmhouses and vine-covered fields. But the secret\u2019s clearly out. When I went back to western Turkey in September, Sirence\u2019s small streets were stuffed with tourists, tour buses, and tchotchke vendors. All that\u2019s bad enough, but I realized then that even if Sirence were still a sleepy hamlet, it\u2019d be a poor match for the serious Ephesus pilgrim. To really appreciate Ephesus as it once was\u2014a vibrant, cultured, and cosmopolitan city, the place where Antony shacked up with Cleopatra\u2014it makes much more sense to pair it with its modern-day equivalent, Izmir. An hour\u2019s drive north of the ruins, Izmir has a celebrated history too (the ancient name Smyrna may ring a few bells) but it\u2019s the glimpse it offers of modern Turkey that\u2019s even more appealing. A prosperous and progressive port city, Izmir has a sweeping seaside promenade (Kordon) that draws a fascinating mishmash of strollers and caf\u00e9 patrons\u2014packs of head-scarved women side by side with packs of college girls in short shorts, mustached fishermen, slick-suited businessmen, and serial shoppers clutching Zara bags (with the palm trees and slew of name-brand boutiques, Izmir might easily pass for Santa Monica). And now, judging by this last trip of mine, there are more reasons than ever to linger in Izmir. Here, a guide to the perfect pit stop before or after a trip to Ephesus:<\/p>\n
Where to Sleep<\/p>\n
Earl Starkey, one of the Cond\u00e9 Nast Traveler Top Travel Specialists, turned me on to the year-and-a-half old Key Hotel, a 1950s bank turned sleek crash pad right on the Kordon. The high-tech rooms, most with sea views, are especially suited for business travelers (except, perhaps, for the mirrored ceiling above the bed). But the warm staff, swell breakfast spread, and great location, make it a good pick for pleasure travelers too.<\/p>\n
What to Do\/See<\/p>\n
Izmir isn\u2019t exactly known for its museums\u2014that\u2019s more Istanbul\u2019s cup of \u00e7ay\u2014but Lucien Arkas, an Izmir-born shipping tycoon and serious art collector is trying to change that. Earlier this year he opened the small and elegant Arkas Art Center inside the French consulate, a stone\u2019s throw from the Key Hotel and the Kordon. The exhibits change every few months and take in everything from contemporary photography to French post-impressionists. Through the end of the month (December) is a dazzling show by Turkish photographer Ahmet Ertug of grand opera houses and libraries around the world.<\/p>\n
Where to Eat<\/p>\n
As luck would have it, there are two good restaurants a stone\u2019s throw from the museum, both recommended to me by the charming young curator of the Arkas Museum, K\u00e1roly Aliotti. La Cigale offers a little bit of everything\u2014French, Italian, Turkish\u2014in a cheerful dining room tucked away in the garden of the French Cultural Center, across the street from the museum. And just up the street from Arkas, facing the Kordon, is the elegant Deniz Restaurant, which K\u00e1roly swears serves the best fish in town.<\/p>\n
via Turkey’s Most Overlooked City: Izmir : Cond\u00e9 Nast Traveler.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Caf\u00e9 on Izmir’s Kordon Most visitors to the spectacular ruins of Ephesus fly into Izmir, Turkey\u2019s third largest city\u2014and hightail it out of town as fast as possible. Shame on them. And on me. Two years ago, when I wrote the Iconic Itinerary: Turkey, I suggested that daytrippers to the ancient Roman metropolis overnight nearby […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":83,"featured_media":61170,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1094],"tags":[5664],"class_list":["post-61168","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tourism","tag-izmir"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61168","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/83"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=61168"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61168\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/61170"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=61168"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=61168"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=61168"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}