Thursday Night Harem

One of the things that I've been missing most in Turkey is getting together with close lady friends and having a space to just be with other women. After gchatting with my San Francisco ladies during their Ladies' Night a few weeks ago and realizing not only how much I missed them, but how much I missed that weekly ritual, I decided to start the tradition here in Istanbul. I put out feelers with a text message and got enthusiastic replies- turns out I'm not the only one who wants and excuse to hang out on a school night!

So, on a Thursday (why mess with a good thing?), eight of us- a mix of American, Turkish, French, and British ladies- headed to the Istanbul Modern for their free and late day. We checked out their permanent collection and a really interesting photography exhibit, by the Chinese artist Yao Lu that is up now.

After the museum, we meandered up the Cihangir hill towards my apartment and ended up at the last pizza place (out of the three on my block) that I haven't tried. We were the only ones there and they were only happy to accommodate our big, loud group. Although we declined the services of the bubbly fortune teller (both cards and coffee grounds), who was also our waitress, we ordered about 7 pizzas and several rounds of drinks. The one pizza chef was a little overwhelmed by the quantity of pizzas and it took a while for the food to arrive, but when it did, it was delicious. A guitar player came out and asked if we had any requests. We deferred to the Turkish ladies, to choose some Turkish tunes. Our friend Perrin even joined him and showcased her singing skills. All in all, it was a great night and I hope the idea of Ladies' Night catches on with my new friends here.