Ahh… IST, my old friend. Somehow, star alliance, cheap Turk Air flights w roomy, USB plugged economy seats and little freebie in-flight care kits filled w lip balm, sleeping eye masks, socks and other goodies always find me coming back.

Wandering your Old Bazaar brings back memories: Running through the 200 wing to miss my flight by minutes, sleeping over in your airport hotels and getting ripped off by cabbies overcharging their 2 min ride, pretending to be poor college kids instead of future elite consultants, ibankers, corp moguls  – well, my friends were anyways… And hiking out to new adventures in Taksim Square, 2am beers with airplane strangers now new friends.

But today! Today is the finest of all visits, a glorious 8 hr layover w no United lounge in sight, too bulked and late for a girl w 2 MacBooks and cute Brown Bear in tow to hunt for a steamy Turkish bath in the city. But tonight, I toast you w free Tmobile Simple Global text and data at lightening 3G speed, that ACTUALLY WORKS!! So I can commune w Team New Baby on Whatsapp, chaired by girl friends, one preggers with almost here baby, recommending the best duty-free skincare products to slather on while waiting, a true signature Socientlife Facial, found in international airport terminals wherever Socients land.