Concerns about visiting Istanbul this weekend on 12/18.

Please disregard my previous post...I trust JER's judgment on this situation! It sounds like Istanbul would be best saved for another time...

If I were going, I'd e-mail the staff at the hotel you'll be staying at and ask them about the current situation. If by chance you're staying at the Hotel Sultan Hill, I wouldn't hesitate to call them to ask.

I hope you get to go!

Hi Sharon

We are staying either there or Hippodrome and I have emailed both hotels on the situation and asking if we should come.

Thanks. :)

Hi Simran - I have just emailed my three very good friends from Istanbul and they tell me that the Kurdish minority problem is very lightweight and definitely should not stop you from going!!
The Grand bazaar, Spice market, Galata Bridge, Blue Mosque, and on and on and on beckon you - Please go.
And , as far as emailing your Hotel - well, they are going to tell you to come - what else would one expect from the Hotel you're paying to stay at.

Have a Fabulous time in an Incredible City, Greg

I'm a frequent visitor to Turkey and think it is one of the very best destinations in the world. That said, I would not blow off this situation. In the recent past, Kurdish extremists have targeted tourist sights in Turkey and foreign tourists have died in bombings. I would be concerned about an escalation of tensions that could result in similar incidents. Frustration and being locked out of the political process are a recipe for increased likelihood of violence.

And I'm not sure that I would trust the judgment of a hotel staff. True, they are on the scene and can give you a sense of what they are seeing and hearing on the street. But unless they are plugged into the extremist community, they might be as surprised as anyone when something happens. Also, they have a strong financial incentive to downplay the possibility of violence, lest the hotel be empty of paying customers.

Frankly, as much as I love Istanbul, I would not travel there myself at the moment. The odds, of course, are overwhelmingly against being caught up in sectarian violence, but times of heightened tensions are when those odds do undeniably go up.

I would go. Not much could stop me from travelling. I would check the Department of Foreign Affairs though. Plus I would hate to see you cancel a trip and find out that it was safe all along. Also touristy areas are usually heavily policed/guarded and are probably the safest place to be!

If it was me I would absolutely go. I agree with Greg. Simran, many people in the world would be scared about traveling to your hometown, Chicago--which according to the FBI statistics had 510 murders in 2008. I just googled "Chicago crime" and read some very frightening stories, but you need to put this all in perspective. I would still travel to Chicago or Istanbul because the chance of something actually happening to me is no greater than me being harmed in my own hometown. No place is truly safe, everything has an element of risk. You can decide to stay home and sit safely in your easy chair and watch the Travel Channel instead and end up having a massive heart attack... I would not be concerned about traveling to Istanbul right now at all. I was in Kusadasi and Marmaris immediately after the bomb situation a few years ago and had no problems whatsoever. There will be an adequate response by Turkish security to protect tourist areas if there is even a hint of problems. I was at the Ramadan festivities in Istanbul in 2007 and the security presence was visible and reassuring to those with concerns.

"Life is either a grand adventure, or nothing"--Helen Keller

Rich - thank you so much for this response. Actually my husband and I decided that we are going to do eitherways and we are really looking forward to it. Yes, we used to live in Chicago and I would agree many people would think many times before visiting because of the crime rate. And I am sure a lot more people would be scared to visit our home country too (India) cause all of the stuff going on there too.

Kate and Greg - thanks for the responses too. :)

I will definitely let you all know how the trip went.