Pick what works for you. The moment you start emulating someone else instead of incorporating your own style, the quicker your vital method of being a writer becomes tarnished.
I don't personally agree that everything necessarily has to be relevant. Describing things in detail can help with the immersion and paint a picture. That in itself can be important if you feel it's where the focus should be. As for how readers will accept it, I suppose it depends on how much it is expected for the genre/subject matter. I don't mind going slow when exploring the setting is evidently a key point. Fantasy (for instance) is often strong on "sight-seeing", which isn't bad and does have an audience that will appreciate it. Not everyone's going to like every kind of writing. If a slow-paced style is your strength, I see nothing wrong with it and you shouldn't have to justify it. If it's a story/genre that people would expect to progress at a faster pace, though, be prepared that some readers may be disappointed. It may be worth considering in that case if that's the kind of story you should be attempting. Keep in mind I may also be talking hogwash here since I don't have much experience outside of the Fantasy genre, but this is how I see it.
