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Patrick Dempsey is an actor, race car driver and TAGHeuer ambassador. After visiting London for the first time as a teenager, he tells of his favourite spots to visit when he\u2019s spending time across the pond. <\/p>\n
Where do you stay in London?<\/p>\n
I came here for the first time as a tourist when I was 18, back in the 1980s. I found a little place called the Portobello Hotel, and I always stay there when I come to London. It\u2019s so intimate, it\u2019s like you\u2019re in someone\u2019s home. The first time I was there, I bounced around the hotel \u2014 I stayed for so long, I got a chance to check out all the rooms.<\/p>\n
What was your first job here?<\/p>\n
Bridget Jones\u2019s Baby. I actually stayed in the Portobello Hotel for two months when I filmed that. I got to know everybody who worked there.<\/p>\n
Where would you recommend for a first date?<\/p>\n
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Rebecca Spencer Photography<\/p>\n
Which shop do you rely on?<\/p>\n
I always go to Lock & Co<\/a>, which is a hat store, in St James\u2019s Street. It\u2019s always my pilgrimage to go and get a cap there.<\/p>\n What\u2019s the best meal you\u2019ve had in the capital?<\/p>\n All the Indian food here is amazing, but Chutney Mary<\/a> in particular. It\u2019s across the street from Lock & Co, and I always get a chicken tikka masala. I had one for lunch today.<\/p>\n What would you do if you were Mayor of London for the day?<\/p>\n I would make sure that all the cabs and bikes in the city were electric.<\/p>\n Who is the most iconic Londoner ?<\/p>\n It has to be Charles Dickens, really. If we talk about iconic, classic stories, it\u2019s Dickens.<\/p>\n AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n Who do you call here if you want to have fun?<\/p>\n The Franchitti brothers \u2014 the racing drivers \u2014 are usually the ones I\u2019d call. I\u2019m seeing Marino tomorrow.<\/p>\n Where do you go and what do you do to have fun?<\/p>\n I walk around and look at the architecture. I\u2019m always blown away by how beautiful the city is.<\/p>\n Have you ever been recognised by a cab driver?<\/p>\n Sometimes. What they recognise me from depends on their generation. The older ones, it\u2019s Can\u2019t Buy Me Love. But now it\u2019s usually, \u201cOh, my wife loves you in Grey\u2019s Anatomy<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n Have you ever had a run-in with a police officer?<\/p>\n No, but my driver right now is a retired detective, which is fascinating.<\/p>\n What\u2019s your London secret?<\/p>\n Before he died, I went to Stirling Moss\u2019s house in Mayfair. It was like a James Bond<\/a> house, he built it in the 1960s. He, his wife and I had dinner together there, and it was very special. He had all his memorabilia as you came in, you could see all his trophies. And he was such a great storyteller, he\u2019s one of my driving heroes. He had great stories about that period of motorsport history and throughout the years. And he kept racing up until the very end.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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