đââŹ
If you are looking at a flight that has a layover in Istanbul, book it and go meet the cats of Istanbul. They grace almost every nook in the endless winding streets of the city, but donât worry that they are stray and hungry. They are free and undoubtedly cared for by someone on the block. If you can spare a week, spend it there, and drink in the symbiotic, holistic relationship of the living things in this city - where you will find practically no homeless either⊠because they take care of each other. This holy and incredible city connects Europe and Asia, but its greatest feature is chaos in perfect harmony. Our favorite walk is along the Galata Bridge at sunset, where birds fly by the hundreds over the fish market and awe-inspiring mosques, silhouetted against a golden sky.
Jan 16, 2025
Related Recs
đ
It feels extra magical to be out and about when you run into your little buddies and they joyfully roll around on the sidewalk.
Feb 7, 2024
đ
Little buddies just sleeping, looking out the window, grooming themselves (self care).
I just visited family with no cats (we have 2) and i caught myself looking for little creatures silently coming in and out of rooms. It sounds creepy but 10/10 fully recommend
Apr 23, 2024
đ
Aka I am failing to see some of the fancy sights while I am on vacation because every stray cat I come across wants to sit on my lap and be pet by me and I want this too
Jul 11, 2024
Top Recs from @ondi-timoner
đ¶
If you have a dog, walk them! If not, walk anyway! I have found my whole life that walking is the best way to feed my mind, body, and soul simultaneously⊠and to see and discover any new city. I travel a lot with my films, and sometimes I clock in 13 miles in a day⊠On any day at home, itâs a sacred time, as the sun sets and we walk our dogs. But if I can take care of phone calls, listen to podcasts, do Zooms and catch up with my partner and friends while moving my feet down the street, waving at neighbors and taking in the natural beauty that is waiting to be discovered around every corner - I will choose that any day. Wandering around a city is also our favorite way to experience any city in the world.
Jan 16, 2025
This is a book by Austrian psychologist, Viktor Frankl, about his observations of the human condition, recorded while surviving the Holocaust. He identified work, love and suffering as the three ways we can find meaning in life - while suffering is how we can reach our highest potential, because it tests us the most. He observed how vital hope was for survival, and how some people were profoundly graceful and generous in their suffering⊠like those who gave away their meager piece of bread, or even how a starving woman made the last days on this earth count by appreciating a single track against a blue sky she was able to see through a slit in the wood⊠It is really the best guide to living I have found.
A few years after reading it, I was approached to direct a documentary about the writers of Netflixâs Oscar-winning âAll Quiet on the Western Frontâ as they adapt Manâs Search for Meaning into a screenplay. They are a power couple facing the biggest challenge of a lifetime: After 22 years of marriage and partnership, sports psychologist Simon Marshall, and 5X World Champion Triathlete, Lesley Paterson, get their dream job to adapt their favorite book Manâs Search for Meaning, but the same day they get the job, Simon receives a call from his doctor telling him that he has Stage 3 Pancreatic Cancer. The film weâve been shooting follows their journey across the world, retracing Franklâs life journey while pursuing cures for this deadly form of cancer. Our documentary is shaping up to be a modern Manâs Search of Meaning, because it is all about turning something devastating into a triumph by making it meaningful - and it has changed my life forever to take on the challenge of telling this essential story. Â
Jan 16, 2025
Staying at the Roxy in NY (formerly the Tribeca Grand) is akin to being on an elegant cruise in Manhattan. Itâs my home away from home in the city. Everything is there: from live jazz in the massive atrium lobby with the glass elevator zipping up and down and the divine food and drinks (I recommend the lobster roll and a mescal cocktail) in recessed leather booths shaped like teacups, to the gorgeous red velvet theater below - which offers the best films on screen in Manhattan - curated by the brilliant Illyse Singer. After attending a killer film and fascinating Q&A, retreat to the Django, the speakeasy next door, which stays open til 4AM and is often where the hottest underground music acts play⊠What else could you ask for?Â
Jan 16, 2025