Unable to create your city at this time. Please claim a city again later

I spent all freakin' last night and this afternoon trying to get on a server (even the "available" ones told me to bugger off), and finally that I'm in, I can't even start a city?  

Maybe the Main Menu IS the game.  Maybe that's why there is no answer from EA: "It's working exactly as we intended.  Why are so many people complaining?"