England is great and London is possibly one of the greatest cities in the world. There are cool things to do, funky clothes to buy, good shows to see, and yummy food to eat (ethinic food of course). Too bad it costs so damn much to do any of it when you’re coming with US dollars.
It’s really simple to figure out the cost in dollars when preparing to make a purchase. Just multiply by two. Most things cost in British pounds about what you would pay in a major city in the U.S. The problem is that with the crap exchange rate, you basically pay double what you would at home for just about everything. Makes me sad. Even the Charity Shop thrift store is too pricey for us. Just taking the Tube, London’s Metro, a stop or two will set you back $4. Ouch. Lucky for us we enjoy walking.
For the most part we’ve gotten over it and are making the most of our time in the UK. Lots of museums are free, though we haven’t really spent any time in them, and there are interesting neighborhoods and markets to explore. We’ve put our precious quid (British slang for the pound) to good use for The Polyphonic Spree at the Astoria and of course the beloved Liverpool Football Club.
Football and music. Two things that clearly merit the expenditure. It is England after all!