Wayne Hemingway's London

Where did you last eat out in London?

I quite often go to private dinners. Last night I went to a brilliant one with Action Aid at Africa House. And you can't beat The Ivy – the food's really good and it's not that expensive. It's never let me down.

What's the best party you've been to in London?

It was on a boat outside the Design Museum. It was a post-party for the Super Contemporary opening, hosted by Beefeater. It had a troupe of performers called Lost Vegas. The attention to detail – the fun, the food, the ambience – reminded me of when I first came to London in 1979. It was just joyful, very non-corporate.

What's the best thing to do in London for free?

Get on shanks' pony and walk and discover, or get on your bike. Get off at a Tube station you haven't got out at before. It's something you should do in all cities really. You get the element of surprise and it's completely free.

What's the best play, gig, comedy act you've been to in London recently?

Watching skaters under the Royal Festival Hall. It's such a great use of an urban space and defies the thing about skating being antisocial. It should be commended for bringing an urban space back to life.

What's your favourite London icon?

Bill Sykes' dog, Bullseye.

Where do you think is the most romantic place in London?

When we were young, me and the missus, and first in London in 1972, it was a walk from the Beetroot Club in Soho via Dionysus kebab house on the corner of Oxford Street and Tottenham Court Road, along the Harrow Road and up to Wembley. That’s romantic London for me: Saturday night with a kebab.

What's your favourite shop in London?

There are a number, always second-hand shops: Blackout II in Covent Garden, Rellik at the bottom of Trellick Tower, Labour and Wait interiors shop on Cheshire Street, just off Brick Lane.

What are your top tips for visitors?

Walk, don't go on the Tube, don’t get a taxi. It's thrifty and you see more.

What's the strangest thing you've ever seen in London?

It was probably when we did Camden Market and there was a bloke that walked around with a fox on a lead. He always had a fox on a lead.

If you were Mayor for the day what would you do/change?

I'd make it more difficult for cars. It would be unpopular but I'd know it would be for the best reasons. The best cities in the world are all walkable cities. I'd make it a more walkable and cyclable city.

What do you miss most when you're away from London?

Probably the eye candy and the visual stimulation and the contradictions. All of those things that make you think. It's one of those cities that for a designer is full of stimulation. It gets you thinking. It’s a proper city.