Freakolina:
I'm afraid it is my posts in this thread that make you reluctant to visit Istanbul. Don't forget that my comments were delivered to a single male traveler who hoped to "get to know" the Turkish in a very short time.
this was touring privately in Egypt (my 2nd visit there) and while I never felt in danger I will say that there is a strange unease in the air and that some of the touts are so aggressive--sometimes literally grabbing your arm to get you in their shop--that they make Turkish rug salesmen seem like pussycats. I was also in Istanbul during the coup attempt and while the situation was surreal and I was very much on edge, in retrospect the Turkish people dealt with the situation extremely well and with surprisingly little violence and civil disobedience. I'll be on holiday in Turkey again this coming February and fully expect to enjoy myself just as much as in every other visit.