Crossing at Dawn

The first boat out of Eminönü is never quite empty. Commuters fold newspapers, a tea-seller works the deck, and the minarets of the old city stand black against a paling sky.

Halfway across, the engine note drops and the city turns. You stop being a tourist with a map and become, for twenty minutes, a person simply going somewhere — which is the whole secret of the place.

Kadıköy meets you with markets and breakfast tables priced for locals, not postcards. Eat there, then take the long way back.