cavebear,
Well, the micromanangement of a large amount of cities isn't exactly a
problem per se. It's more the tedium that drags me down.

If you've made a nice auto-build list it might prove easier, but if not, keeping track of what every city is producing, etc, is a pain. Don't you think so? I mean, how many cities do you usually have going at once? 10? 30? more? I find that once the number rises above 20ish that I lose focus. Especially if trying to setup trade routes.
I like to use an arbitrary number or date for city expansion. For instance, I usually stop founding new cities once 1AD rolls around, ending up with around 10-12. By then I should be getting close to a switch to Republic for a quick WLT*D to max out all my cities. If all aren't ready, or some haven't reached size 3, then the luxury burst isn't as efficient and some cities will be left paltry. The meager cities will need another burst later on, which again is less efficient.
My favorite
(early) strat right now is to produce a SSC with Colossus and HG and celebrate WLT*D in Monarchy in that city to receive the addition arrows. This is easily done with the HG, only requiring 10-20% lux at most times. This way, each square within said city will produce 3+ arrows.
(more than 3 in ocean squares and rivers after bridgebuilding.) With a library and trade routes, this city will rake in the beakers. All other cities will have no improvements and cater to the SSC's every whim, supplying it with troops or caravans for WOW's whenever needed.

Then I'll ride my flourishing SSC all the way to SoL. After that, the game's mine.
(I'm speaking of SP, of course.)
------------------
~work like you don't need the money~
~love like you've never been hurt~
~dance like nobody's watchin'~
~live like there's no tomorrow~
[This message has been edited by Hawkx9 (edited June 29, 2000).]