For those who are criticizing El-Jeffe's criticism (there must be an irony there), I think I can safely say his criticism doesn't stem from disdain for the game: he is a good neighbor and has a very well-developed town (to the OP: the DMV bumper car course is a particular highlight, but the town as a whole is meticulously laid out).
In general, I tire of the complaining on this forum, but the OP's seems a respectful rant. I disagree with some of that opening post in so far as I like the more leisurely pace. I'm sure I have far fewer neighbors than most posters on this forum, so I don't have to worry about getting through 100 towns every day (been there, done that, will do that no more). Since the FP feature is permanent, I'm happy to go at my own pace and grateful that neighbors need little more from me than a daily clearing of handshakes.