As for the Airbnb: it is not available on the airbnb website anymore.
To be sure, the cats slimmed down and dirtied-up when I walked outside the busier zones of the city into the immigrant areas — parts of Fatih, for example.
The key is to research thoroughly.
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Street food is part and parcel of life in Istanbul.
Then Istiklal starts at Taksim Square and leads down to Galata Tower.