Menu button to recent apps is a change that all Android has made, the idea being that different apps had menu buttons or settings buttons or neither, so it was better to make it a system level thing and let apps handle their menus.
Look into third party lock screen options, I remember using one but I don't remember which one or how to make it work.
You can change all that Google Now stuff. I turned off work commute drive times, and you can manually adjust your home and work addresses.