i'm extremely happy with mine as well. been doing the exact same route for 3 years, not sure why i didn't start 6 years ago when i started.
mine's a 9 miles each way "bowl" commute, but higher (more hills) going TO work, so in the morning when i sweat it's cooler, and afternoon (in summertime heat), i'm going faster downhill.
i have good bus routes near my ride in case of bad WX, and plenty of retail on the way home - groceries, library, gym, and three bike shops, (all of which i've used for tires)
goes through all sorts of neighborhoods and businesses. actually my OLD commute went the length of washington park, a long beautiful park with two lakes, always active with people, dogs, odd looking bikes, (even busy in the winter at 6am), but now i moved a bit further east so don't take that route.
here's my pics from the summer
http://tinyurl.com/8fefe