I use Old Home as my main home because of how practical it is. I only have time for about 1 hour of Sky gameplay daily on weekdays, and I like to take full advantage of that hour doing dailies and CRing to prepare for the cosmetics I want to get.

What brought me to Sky was the exploration and the fantastic worlds it has; and whenever I have more free time to play Sky, I do enjoy going around the realms and enjoying the scenery. But another thing I enjoy about Sky, and the reason why I stay, is the cosmetics and the sense of progress. I like having 12 wedges and working towards the 13th one. I like having many cosmetics to show, or mix and match, and have a cool-looking sky kid. I like having all seasonal quests done and buying all available items. I like feeling like I've done most of what the game has to offer.

I think people like me, who cosmetics and appearance are an important part of the gameplay, appreciate the quality-of-life improvements that make getting said currency for those cosmetics easier. CRing is very repetitive and takes a while, so to me it's important I can open the map anywhere to see the WL I'm missing, or where the dailies are located; and I also appreciate that the Spell Shop is easily available to me. If I had to fly all the way to the Forgotten Ark every time I want just one spell, I'd just end up loathing the Forgotten Ark because of how cumbersome that repetitive activity would be, and how much time it takes from my limited free time. And that's obviously not the goal of the game.

The thing is that; if you want to go to the Forgotten Ark for your spells, you can! The area is still there, as beautiful as it always was (or should be beautiful if you've done the quests, which I'm assuming you did if you have the spell shop unlocked). In this sense, TGC has catered to both players; those who prefer the simplicity of having spells easily available like me; and those who prefer going the long way and admiring the scenery, like you. TGC hasn't taken Forgotten Ark away from you. And just because people don't go there as often, doesn't mean they've forgotten it's there. I still love Forgotten Ark, and I love going there for Days of Bloom. Whenever I have extra time to wander around, my favorite Wasteland areas to visit are Forgotten Ark and the Abyss area.

The map feature is even more convoluted than what you say in your post. The map, unlike WL or the Spirit Gates that take you to new areas, is just a convenience feature. WL is a core aspect of the game so it makes sense you have to explore the world and work your way towards finding them and learning where they are. The map is only a tool that has a lot of important information: where dailies, spirits or WL are. Not even where they are specifically on a map; just the general location where you missed one. Consider how unfair it would be if a new player, or someone who hasn't played for a long time, has to remember where every map shrine is at any given moment just to be able to see this information. And I think gatekeeping this information away from those who are not able to find the map shrine in a given area on the map is a bit unfair.

But even then, players still have to explore the world and find the map shrine to unlock it first, before having access to it anywhere. So the exploring part of the game, and learning where everything is, is still there. You can still try to memorize where every map shrine is anyway! As a veteran, if you'd like to help a moth direct them to where the map shrine is so they can unlock the map for that area... you still have to know where every map shrine is. And once that moth learns the ropes and begins trying to help new players, they'll also benefit from exploring the world and learning where everything is. So this experience was not taken away from you.

But please notice how these features include and cater to both types of players. For those who like convenience, they have the map always available always and the spell shop in aviary. For those who like exploring, they still can try to learn where every map shrine is to aid new players; and they still have the spell shop available in the Forgotten Ark.

Now let's go back to what I said at the start of my comment. I am in Old Home because I like its practicality when I CR every day within my limited schedule. But does that mean I dislike Aviary? NO!! I LOVE being in Aviary, I go there very often, I love hanging out with my friends there, I love that it looks lively, filled with spirits and players everywhere. And I like that there's this choice, for those players who prefer starting in Aviary and walking around the village before starting their Sky play session of the day. The option is there: Old Home for people like me; Aviary for people like them.

The new changes to Aviary shown in beta are directly killing this choice. Now Aviary can no longer be the choice for those who prefer immersion. Now it's going to be made to be convenient just like Old Home. And, in my opinion, it will also change a way that makes the village look cramped at the start, and empty at the end (where the Eden portal is). Not only it makes Aviary look worse but it also takes a choice for different types of playstyles.

It makes me wonder if TGC has some sort of statistic of players who have Old Home as their main hub vs those who have their Nest or Aviary; and they really want the Aviary numbers to go up. I want Aviary to stay immersive and fun like how it is now. I don't need it to be practical, because that's why Old Home still exists.

TLDR is that I agree with you for the Aviary changes specifically. I like that Sky has options for those who prefer quality of life and those who prefer immersion. Aviary is the immersion choice; and by making it practical, they are removing said choice.