I was in London, Manchester and Sheffield a few months back and found the England to be rather expensive. The prices for most items were like twice that of the US. Whatever you pay in dollars in the US, you basically pay the same amount in pounds there and the exchange rate was almost 2:1 . London seemed to be a vibrant , pulsating place. It has old world charm as well as new world amenities. It is perhaps second only to NY as the most cosmopolitan city in the world. I also noticed that, in general, the Londoners were more fashion-conscious than NYers. Public transportation is superb whether it be the tube, regular trains between cities or the bus. The view from the London Eye was amazing. Cheerio!