West Coast US is not easier or cheaper for me to get to; London takes that (why? I don't know). On top of that, as Psychotic has alluded to, London and the UK have specific draw cards for some people that the US does not. I have been there once before, and while I would love to go back one day, I do not intend to visit the same places repeatedly while there are others waiting. Ain't no 221b Baker Street in LA, for instance.

People seem to be genuinely turned off by the cost of travel, which is understandable. So do a UK and one or more US meetups. It's not the world meetup that Shorty envisioned, but at least people are hanging out, and that's cool.