The Rush Hour expansion really makes the game playable. You can dowload some nice buildings like the water front casino to get extra cash, $25,000, if you want, but I find I don't need that if I take out 2 million in loans. (25k a month pay back) but with 2.5 million to start the game with, a vast expanse of res/com/ind you will do fine.
Oh well, I guess I might as well go start the game up and see if I can rebuild.