Thanks, Alan. I had a chance to ride a Townie 8 this afternoon while my LBS was replacing my Trek 6700's knobbies with some narrower slick-center / knobby-outside tires. I found it heavier and not quite as nimble as the Townie 7D. The repair guy showed me that my seat was way low on my Trek; he raised it 3.5 inches--and all this time I thought my leg extension was nearly straight. He moved the seat back and tilted it back, all of which was more comfortable than the original set-up.
Long story short, I rode like the wind when I got it home. Just to compare, I upped the seat in my wife's 7D and that felt better. Not as fast on the flats, but it felt more natural than my Trek.
I'll order a Townie 7D in Vivid Blue and co-exist with both bikes. I think this comfy bike thing is going to be my main bike for most of my riding. It's fun. (Why isn't riding my Trek fun? Probably because I'm not on dirt and rock with it but I've domesticated it to city and county roads.)