I've only ever driven a manual, but having heard how good automatics have gotten, I think driving manual is pointless nowadays unless you're doing it for fun. It definitely feels better when you're going on a highway, but if you're driving in the city it's unbearable.
You switch to higher or lower gears according to the road and traffic, if a turn is coming up I break and then lower my gear, if it's all straight ahead with no cars then I go faster and raise my gear. Sometimes I need more acceleration in order to go faster, so I lower my gear and then raise it again.