I agree, "rowing" through the gears is part of the experience. If you get irritated by shifting in stop and go traffic, then just go auto and don't second guess yourself, you'll still get a fantastic driving experience. If you are more intrigued by the finer shifting techniques, and shifting smoothly is a long term goal, then you need the manual as it offers an intimate means of control and connection to the machine that the auto can never provide. The automatic is not bad, it's just more, well, automatic.
