I would thoroughly recommend going to the States for a PPL. On top of that, don't just look at the East Coast, the West is brilliant!
I completed mine with an FTO based at Long Beach, California in '05. It was amazing flying around the LA basin, learning how to fly in and around Class B airspace (you simply don't get to fly in and around major airports in the UK with puddle jumpers/sky chickens like a Cessna 152/172). I also got my night time qualification as part of the PPL - it was the cherry on the top in many ways. Night time flying is a while different set of challenges... and incredibly rewarding.
The contributors to this post are correct in many ways - the weather is far more predictable, the FX rate is favourable again (well, it's getting there at least!), you can treat it all as a "working holiday" and during time off from flying... it's a case of sitting by a pool in sunny conditions. Who can complain about that?
I enjoyed it so much I returned to California for my hour-building before undertaking the CPL/ME/IR in the UK. Best of both worlds I would say.
