Everyone else already hit most of the major points on the benefits of parking. I'm a big parker myself and while I know most casual players think it's to be a bully to the hood, that's not why most people do it.
All the benefits listed here are very true but on a personal gaming level I just do not find changing eras fun. I enjoy GBs, working to get them in lower levels and working to level them as well. There is also the added benefit of doing RQs, some eras are much better than others to sit in and gather goodies. As you advance HQs become more difficult.
LMA seems for many to be the natural stopping point and I too sat there for about 9 months. If I had to do it over again I would recommend CA instead. CA goods will need to be refined later so you will have a much higher need for them than LMA goods. So while you're parking may as well collect goods that have a purpose later on. Also the clockmaker RQ is quite efficient if you have room.
This is much more than the simple city builder game it advertises itself as on TV. It can be very in depth and require a lot of strategy. That being said this is a game, it's meant to be enjoyed. If you don't find sitting around in eras forever enjoyable then you shouldn't do it. You will certainly do better in the game the more your strategize and build yourself up but your game shouldn't become your chore.
A good guild would go a long way towards helping you realize a lot of the ins and outs of the game and also help you progress. Unfortunately with you being on mobile a lot of the ways to strategize just aren't there for you. You don't have access to GvG which may be why you see yourself starting to slip on the towers. You can't use global and you can't access guild profiles and the ranking system to find a good guild. You also can't pop into global to find specific people in your world. There is a browser called puffin which you can download and log into the game on your mobile device which will allow you to use the desktop version of the game. They are trying to streamline the game so mobile and browser players have the same experience but it just isn't there yet.
The forums a great place to ask questions and you might luck out if you tell us your world someone could point you towards a good guild that exists there. The wikia is another fantastic tool
http://forgeofempires.wikia.com/wiki/Forge_of_Empires_Wiki
Also, I noticed you said you played ahead and would need to sit out several events to park in LMA. I think parking is best undertaken when entering a new era on the tech tree and on Cmap. For that alone I think you'd be best advancing to CA and parking there prior to the next event. Historical Questlines are one thing to miss out on but the larger events, next will be Winter, could really make a big difference in a players game. Getting rogue hideouts, champs, SoKs, these will all make parking pay off more and be easier. If you do decide to advance then park, only unlock the techs you must for the event, same with Cmap to allow you to park longer. If you're a patient person you don't even need to unlock clockmakers to do that RQ, you can win them in GE and in events. It would then be up to you if you'd like to abort all the side missions to unlock the RQs. I've found though it seems like a waste, I waste more waiting until I can complete a side quest and not having the RQs available to me. Pretty much whatever I can't do the day I enter the new era, I abort.
Sorry for the super long post. I've been making that a habit lately =)