Whether I am taking a mini-break, flying long-haul or heading to a business meeting, my way of getting through the trauma of 21st century travel is to put on my safari suit and retro sunglasses and act as if this is still the heyday of BOAC. Istanbul lends itself to my peculiar fantasies perfectly - a seamless blend of old world and new world, European and Asian, with a Dionysian social life. All of my fashion friends have been raving about it for years, so I jumped on a three-hour flight to discover it for myself. Even after being met by traffic worse than New York at rush hour en route to my hotel (brace yourself and double any estimated journey times you may have read about), the heat, bustle and chaos of this city of more than 14million bodies will have anyone's sense of adventure stirred.
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Turkey's most famous city has grand landmarks, but is also great for parties
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City districts such as Galata and Karakoy are becoming increasingly cool
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The Blue Mosque is an Istanbul must-see - an astonishing religious icon
Going up in the world: The @placeholder district of Istanbul is increasingly hip, and enjoys a lovely riverside location