Kavvy, as far as balance of the aircraft and the seating, your BS alarm is mostly right. It generally doesn't matter, unless it was half full and everyone was either all in the front or all in the back. As long as it is fairly random throughout the cabin it is likely fine. However the flight attendants are supposed to 'advise' the pilots, just in case it is an issue. In some cases (or at some airlines) they may just say you aren't allowed to move to avoid any potential issue.
As for the arrival,it sounds like the standard IGVEP arrival for the 35's (35 left and right, the northbound runways). It goes northwest towards the airport coming over the mountains, then turns south before joining the northbound approach. There are also altitude restrictions to put the airplanes in good shape to join the approach, and also for inbound and outbound traffic flow. Although somewhat low, it probably wasn't as low as you felt. But it is a beautiful view on a nice clear day.
Hope that helps.
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