We had no experience with parents of age peers at 16mos, because we never even entertained the idea of play dates until our DD was nearly 3. Particularly since your DS is so far advanced, I wouldn't even bother seeking these. As he gets older, some of the differences will be less obvious. Also, his age peers simply aren't ready on a social level. As long as you and your family and friends continue to play and interact with him, his social needs will be met.
As for toys, the ones you described all sound like they're of the early discovery/learning variety, which is great, but there are other types of toys, too, and some of them never get boring. Balls, for one. When my DD was 16mos, she had one of those inflatable ball pens you can fill with little plastic balls and swim around in. Mostly, we used to enjoy throwing them at each other. Fast forward 8 years, we still have some of them around, and we still have ball fights. They also see the business ends of plastic bats and hockey sticks. A number of other balls of various shapes and purposes have joined in the mix. Not only is this kind of play fun, but it's also great for gross motor development.
And there are the toys for imaginative play... trucks, trains, dolls/action figures, etc. Those tend to have a long shelf life, as long as they can find someone to play with.
