Istanbul reminds me of New York, both in the too-cool for you attitude (look at how many black trench coats you can see in the street), and because of the how both cities do not accurately represent the nation's culture. New York and Istanbul are both a lot weirder, more liberal, colder, and more cultured than their respective nations, and function as a world apart. In a sense, both cities belong to the world, rather than the nation they are located in, which makes them rather interesting places.