Photographing Istanbul

[chapster]

I'm planning a trip to Istanbul for 5 days at the end of September. I will be photographing on my own so I needed some advice from people who live there or who have photographed the city on there own. I will be bringing with me a 20D with a 24-85 mm lens; 28mm 1.8 prime lens for low light indoor and a speedlite 580EX flash all cannon products.

· Carrying camera? Is it best to keep it in the bag and only pull out when needed or would it be ok to strap around wrist and walk around? I always find having in the bag makes me not act quickly enough to get the shots I want? I bought a crumpler black bag and beat the crap out of it so it doesn't look like it stands out it looks like a smaller sized messenger bag. Basically my question in short, is it safe to walk around with a 20D strapped to your wrist on your own?
· What is the best clothing to fit in and not looked noticed. I don't dress up I ware mostly shirts and jeans, sneakers or sandals. Will jeans stick out too much or should I just ware cotton slack pants. Also I'm keeping in mind the weather in end of September, would rain jackets be best? Basically what's the best option to fit in with locals?
· Areas to not shoot in
· Things to not do

Ok I have traveled a bit on my own mainly in Central America so it will be my first time towards the middle east, so I'm not looking for answers like be aware, don't look like a tourist, be confidant don't go down any dark alleys, I am well aware of these.
I also always wondered when people say don't go anywhere where the locals won’t go. How do you know where the locals don't go when you are not from there? I always loved that one maybe someone can answer that one.

Thanks

[stupot]

istanbul is where asia meets europe - so you wont be out of place with the clothes you wear. its a mix of cultures. make sure you visit the markets, and aya sofia is a must with its huge dome and dramatic lighting inside. the underground roman cistern is pretty cool, a large underwater reservoir full of fish. the blue mosque is a working mosque, unlike aya sofia which is a museum, aya sofia is more impressive. be respectful when visiting mosques, dont be afraid to go inside them all, the small ones are very interesting too, just remember to take off shoes, you may have to cover your head if you have short hair, but probably not. you can get great views from the palace on top of the hill... i forget its name. i only had a point and shoot when i visited so i wasnt aware of any extra attention to my camera.

the people are all very friendly, especially when they're trying to sell you carpets:) as for going where the locals go... well i cant tell you the good places, never remember the names. but there are plenty of restaurants etc that are quite special. dont be put off by shabby exteriors - you're there for five days so plenty of time to check out all the different spots in the evening. i had a great meal at a kebab restaurant, it looked like a takeaway downstairs but we were ushered upstairs to a room with cushions on the floor where people sat waiting for a table, drinking the traditional teas, some funny milk drink and smoking shish pipes. then once the table was ready we were taken up again to a roof terrace where we had amazing kebabs with views over istanbul. so, appearances can be deceptive:)

have fun

stu