Icon on Istiklal

Simit and cigarettes. Ah, the smells of Istanbul! Simit are Turkey's bagels, and damned fine ones they are. The most prevalent are white, and thick with toasty sesame seeds, but you can also get healthier multigrain versions with sunflower seeds. It wasn't until today's stroll down Istiklal that I realized that the iconic simit carts are modeled on the trams that ply their way up and down this almost-pedestrian road. Silly. Seems so obvious now.