Michel was great, I really enjoyed meeting him and chatting with him. The neighborhood isn't the prettiest, but it is a short walk to one of the prettiest. I liked it. The view from the roof is really nice, and I bet that sitting out on the roof in the evening during the spring/summer would be fantastic (so I may have to return then)!
The apartment is really 3 floors of a stand-alone house, with a bedroom + bathroom on the first floor, then a kitchen and a room with a nice table (was perfect for me to do some work on), tv, futon/sofa (which I actually passed out on while working one night -- very comfortable), and then the rooftop enclosure (it's half covered, half exposed).
A small grocery is just around the corner, and food options are a quick walk. I didn't get to tour much of the city because I was feeling a bit worn down (and was fighting a head cold) so I stayed in quite a bit. But you can walk down the hill to a ferry stop, or walk the bridge to get to the "old town", or talk a quick walk to the Galatasary Tower.