three free things
free vacation activities — all you have to do is get there!

A bit to the east of fashionable Taksim, in the shadow of the Bosphorous Bridge, lies one of modern Istanbul's most charming neighborhoods. Ortaköy is abuzz with art galleries and cafés, including several that front on the Bosphorous and offer beautiful views of the park across the water on the Asian ... » more

On Sunday afternoons, when the weather is warm and dry, a rhythm starts to sound from Meridian Hill Park around 5pm. At first it's just a few people with drums, but by its peak there may be 20 drummers and ... » more

Imagine a shopping mall eight stories high, with hundreds of stores, all dedicated to IT and computers. Imagine it has everything from brighty-lit megastores to tiny little one-man shops selling strange bits of hardware more suited to a museum than a desktop. Imagine it's got shady software pirates ... » more