A new guide to Istanbul

A new travel website, Simonseeks, had its official launch last month, featuring community-written and expert guides to almost 50 locations, mostly in Europe, but also around the world, from Hong Kong to Cape Town to New York.

I spent a couple of months last fall researching and writing the expert guide to Istanbul, selecting 40 top hotels, 40 restaurants worth visiting, and 20 can't-miss sights, as well as making extensive recommendations on shopping, nightlife, and getting around, and offering my own "insider tips" and personal favorites in the city I've now called home for three years -- keeping a few special places to myself, of course.