Cambridge. Picturesque, interesting, cultured. And bloody windy. The wind comes across the fens like a whip, and doesn't stop. It's really flat out there (then again, you are from Chicago, the Windy City, right?). I prefer the western side of the UK TBH, and I'm originally from deepest Sarf Lunnon. As for schools, a country the size of the USA is inevitably going to have an amazing diversity of provision, from superb to disgraceful. You'd call it a zip-code lottery, what we call a post-code lottery.
It's strange for Americans to move here unless they are sent here for work reasons. Having said that, I've met a few (more Canadians TBH) and they all seem to like it. Unless they're from somewhere hot. I'd prepare myself, were I an American, for the following:
* Very long conversations about the weather. This cliche is completely true.
* Dreadful, prurient tabloid media that makes the National Enquirer look like the Washington Post
* No guns, well not very often and certainly not anywhere nice unless you happen across one of these wierd rural death-wishes we've had recently
* Football. Lots of football. Jesus I hate football, get into rugby it's far more interesting
* Excellent beer. Good wine is cheaper than you find in the States, too. In fact, get used to British drinking. The British are drunks, we will look at you strangely if you are not partaking...
* ... which brings me onto pubs. Find a good one, dig in, get known, enjoy and you won't go home. Literally.
* Old buildings. Yanks get really freaked out by the old buildings. My local church is Norman.
* Driving on the correct side of the road
* The Queen. Don't diss The Boss
* London. London is a post-modern Rome, a city state that is part Blade Runner, part 16th Century Venice and completely loopy
* Walking. We walk. We don't drive everywhere, mainly because that gets in the way of us having a drink
There's a starter for ten.
Cheers
MC
let's see...
TO start off, I'm not American, I'm Russian, but I've lived here since I was 15(will be 26 this year), finished high school and stuff. That being said:
1. My currently favorite TV shows are: Doctor Who(watched all of the nuWho, watching classics), Green Wing/IT Crowd/Black Books, Top Gear and Skins(first two seasons)
2. My Favorite beer right now is Samuel Smith's lager
3. I really like steak and ale pie.
4. I like EPL(even though it does look like volleyball sometimes)...
5. One of my favorite bars to visit is called the Globe and is one of the best football bars in the country. It's owned by an Englishman and a Scotsman and on Saturday morning, during EPL is filled to the brim with British expats. Love those chaps.
6. I also like walking, old buildings(I live in a historic neighborhood, although here historic means 100 years) and whiskey(and by whiskey, i mean scotch, not bourbon)