Originally Posted by
Helena Handbaskets
I don't have any personal knowledge of IST to add, but I do want to reinforce the idea that a rational examination of the statistical chances of being involved in a terrorist attack would nearly always lead to the conclusion that it's silly not to go. The odds in IST are presumably infinitessimal. But to me it's also often interesting (and reinforcing) to recollect that even when infinitesimal odds "paid off" (9/11 at the World Trade Center), even in the center of the bullseye of the most successful terrorist attack in (modern?) history, 70% of the people survived.
And I'd also like to reinforce the thought that to demur or delay any pleasure or opportunity for fear of terrorists is a win for them. For several years after 9/11, every time I'd safely get off an airplane, I'd imagine it as a small but in some ways very real "&+@% you!" to the terrorists. We're far enough away now from that time that I rarely have that thought upon disembarking any more, but I suppose that fact is an even bigger defeat for them.
Good point. If the meaning of unsafe is "is the probability that I will be attacked is high," then of course no. If the meaning of unsafe is "is the probability that I will be attacked (or victimized by street crime, caught up in a coup, etc.) much higher in Istanbul than other cities," then undeniably yes. I think of it as like buying 10 lottery tickets versus one -- the probability of winning is certainly much higher, but still remote.
This latest bombing was in an area in which a tourist would not likely be, but it was not far away. And, as a previous poster mentioned, blasts in Taksim do happen. The police presence there is enormous -- more than one would see, with good reason I suppose, than other European and Middle East cities (although it's hard to compare Istanbul to Middle East cities).
That said, I go to Istanbul frequently and will not hesitate to go back. (It's an amazing city, and I have posted numerous trip reports.) I would not discourage anyone else from going there. And, anecdotally, the issues there (both political unrest and violence) don't seem to have impacted travel too much, at least based on the hotel prices. We'll see if that changes.
Originally Posted by
GUWonder
Istanbul also has a nightlife scene where women dress to the heels in ways that put to shame many of those to be seen in more "fashionable" locations in Western/Northern Europe, North America and South America. Given we are talking about Istanbul, might it not even have more open prostitution and strip clubs per inhabitant than Amsterdam?
As to the first point, I would not say "put to shame." I would say something like "are comparable to." As for the second sentence, no way. Istanbul has a cosmopolitan, liberal population of locals and tourists, but it is still not quite like modern Europe.