The one thing I'll say I've struggled with in 5e that used to be much easier is having characters build ties in a town. In AD&D, you didn't heal to full after a night of sleep and instead only healed like 2 or 3 HP per day, possibly plus your CON modifier? I forget, it's been awhile. This created more downtime, so IME players were more likely to get into town activities to fill the time. In 5e? A good night's sleep heals all wounds, so it's on to the next location!
I'm not saying these social activities in town are impossible in 5e and I've had characters in 5e pursue normal activities in town such as becoming a brewer, it just doesn't seem to come as naturally as it did in 2e when the game rules sorta enforced players had to spend time resting between adventures.