Oh the Things I'll do!

There are 3 million things to do in Istanbul. I'm going to start a running list of the things that sound interesting to me.  This way I can sift through them later and pick the ones that are MUST do and things that are MAYBE do.

• Topkapi Palace- location of the head of the Ottoman Empire for over 300 years.  Supposedly should take at least .5-1 day for this.
• Church of the St. Saviour in Chora (Chora Church)- a Byzantine Christian church with mosaics and frescoes that were amazingly preserved despite the Ottoman take-over
• Ferry across the Bosphorus - Don't take a cruise, they are more expensive and not any better than the commuter ferries
• Chill out under the Galata Bridge - watch the boats, go to tea houses and restaurants
• Hagia Sophia
• Walk the Theodosius Walls 
• Dolmabahse Palace
• Hamam - find one the locals go to, they are cheaper and more authentic. Drink lots of water!
• See the Whirling Dervishes - This site looks interesting.  Do some more research though.
• Visit Princes Island
• Archaeology Museum
• The Blue Mosque
• The Grand Bazaar
• The Egyptian Spice Bazaar
• Mosque of Suleyman the Magnificent - 16th century
• Istiklal Street- pedestrian only street full of shopping and restaurants
• Underground Cistern
• Hagia Irene
• Galata Tower

Flights

To make my whole trip a bit cheaper but a also more complicated, I'm going to split the flight up a bit. I have air miles on Southwest so I'll get a round trip flight for free within the US. The plan is to utilize this to get to Chicago or NYC and then fly from there on an airline that can get me to Istanbul. I'm not sure how this will work as far as transferring my luggage- I think I should be able to check it all the way through (I hope), but I am going to have to look into that.

On the search for cheap flights, there are a couple of airlines that have direct flights to Istanbul: Delta, United Airlines, KLM, and Turkish Airlines.  I did a quick search based on the approximate date I'm planning and it looks like United Airlines is the cheapest flying out of NYC.

So here is the plan:
Portland to NYC via Southwest air miles
NYC to Istanbul via United Airlines
then
Istanbul to NYC via United Airlines
NYC to Portland via Southwest air miles

Any other ideas out there?  I'd rather not have too many stops...obviously!

Now, the really big issue. I can't sleep sitting up. It makes flying difficult and it's been a while since I've been on a flight that is this long.  Any suggestions on how to sleep while flying?  I found this gem in my own searches:  "How to Sleep on a Plane."

Enjoy!

Istanbul Lodging

There are at least 34 Hostels in Istanbul.  I've narrowed it down to 4 possibilities for myself.

In an attempt to narrow the selection down, I started by cutting them down based on location.  I really want to stay in the Old Town area because that's where most of the history that I am interested in is.  This eliminated 17 possibilities.

The next thing I did was narrow down based on how much information was available online. Did the hostel have a website? Was the website at all helpful or did it just refer me to hostel.com or some other booking site?  What amenities are offered?  I was surprised at how much this narrowed the selection down.  I was then at 6 selection!   I cut two out based on price (they were much more expensive than the other 4, but didn't necessarily look any better.  So here's what I am left with:

Nobel Hostel - 4 bed dorm
Orient Hostel - 4 bed dorm
Cordial House Hostel - 8 bed dorm (females only) - Unsure of free breakfast?
Sultan Hostel - mixed dorm (didn't specify bed #)

I'm leaning towards the Nobel Hostel or The Orient Hostel.

Your thoughts?

Technology or no?

I just found out that Apple is going to be announcing a new iPad that is smaller than the original but bigger than a cell phone.  This brings up a conundrum for me.  Do I utilize technology on this trip or not?

This wasn't a big question when I lived in N. Ireland. Yes, cell phones were in existence, but they weren't "Smart" and basically if I wanted information, I had to go to an internet library or ask *gasp* a person!

The pros of an ipad are immense.  I could easily update my family and friends of my trip. Historical information and maps would be at the tip of my fingertips.  I could download walking tours, calculate currency, and find transportation easier.

The cons of the ipad, while not as numerous, are still important to consider.  Using technology may mean that I lose the immense sense of adventure.  Basically, the question is: how can I find myself if I don't first get lost?

What are your opinions?