Günaydın! This was such a fun pazar!…read more Stuffed with fruits, veggies, and clothing, the honey's mother declared we shouldn't miss the Alaçatı Pazarı during our visit. And she was right! I ended up finding a beautiful pair of handmade breeches, a lovely lavender top, and a gorgeous vest, all hand stitched and embroidered from Tane Antika Evi, which translates to 'Grain Antique House'. We also picked up some mulberries, which I hadn't had in quite a long time. All in all, while the bazaar will definitely be slightly overwhelming, it's absolutely a must-see if you're in the area. The next time we're in Turkey, we will 100% be visiting again!

The Alacati Pazar is probably one of my favorite things to do in Alacati. The Alacati Pazar takes…read moreplace every Saturday. Vendors will begin setting up their stalls around 8am and start taking them down at 4-5p. You can find a multitude of vendors at the Pazar selling everything from farm-fresh vegetables and fruits to baby chickens! At the beginning of the Pazar most of the sellers are farmers selling fruits and vegetables which are in season. If you've never had tomatoes in Turkey I would highly recommend eating some, they are some of the most delicious vegetables you can get in Turkey. Their peak season begins end of June/ early July. My other favorites include figs, cherries, and artichokes (make sure you get the regular kind and not sour which is visne). Towards the back of the Pazar you'll find mostly clothing vendors. If you're buying a large quantity of items from a vendor you can usually haggle and get a discount from the vendor. I'll be honest and say I usually send my mom in for the haggling since she doesn't speak with an accent like me. If you're here with Turkish friends definitely try to get them to haggle on your behalf- you'll get a steeper discount if you sound like a local! I'd recommend coming to the Pazar around 9-10am during the high season (June-August) since beyond 10am it tends to get very hot and crowded. If you want to take a break from shopping there are many outdoor cafes where you can stop to get breakfast. My favorite is Refigin Bahcesi which is right at the start of the Pazar. You can get gozleme here which is what I would recommend!

As a purveyor of malls, it was a pleasure to finally be able to go to Optimum after I heard all the…read morehoopla about it. I gotta say it was worth the wait. My wife beat me to it & bragged how awesome the mall was. Well, until I saw it in person I didn't believe it. The mall is HUGE. I think its about 3 levels iirc, maybe 4 & has an additional 2 levels of underground parking space. I went there in the winter of 2013 & the summer of 2014. No matter what time of year...this place stays super packed. GREAT atmosphere as I don't mind being around people. The movie theater in this mall is the best I've been to in Turkey so far. Practically brand new! I will visit again soon!

The go to place when you have nothing else to do…read more This is a slice of Turkish suburbia in the eyes of an American. For those who do not have the luxury of having a Watson's in their country(!!!) this is a great place to stock up on their health goodies. Note of warning though: You cannot convert to TL without someone who is Turkish at the banks in the mall. Once in LC Waikiki they let my friend convert USD to TL after she made a huge purchase, but don't bet on that to complete your shopping. Very clean atmosphere, but not the hugest selection of stores. Can get old after a while. We often came here via taxi, but via the train, I think you can get off at Ege Universitesi and then walk across the campus until you hit the mall. Ikea has great comfort food for those missing a slice of Americana/Swedish food.

Bornova Forum - what can I say? Its pretty awesome. If you think its "small" now, you should have…read moreseen it in 2007/2008...the expansion they made recently (as of last year when I went back) is pretty significant. Was the go to place in regard to hitting up IKEA for apartment items & the huge Kipa where I did most of my grocery shopping...kill time at the movie theater & grab a bite to eat at one of the restaurants. Plenty of shopping to be done. This open air shopping center is legit. As for money conversion, I have never had any issues (since 2007). Don't be scared to use your debit card out in town as the system do in fact convert your USD to TL automatically. Also the various ATMs around the shopping center are perfectly fine to use. 99% of them will allow you to withdraw TL & the other 1% will allow for USD/Euro also. We usually drove from Alsancak (which is roughly a 10-15 min drive depending on traffic) & parking is pretty easy. IIRC, they offer valet, but self parking is free so :) I will add this however, even with the expansion this mall pales in comparison to say Agora or the gigantic Optimum (100% LEGIT!)