Hi, and welcome to the forum! (is that an echo???)
I too am fairly tall (5'9") and heavier than I'd like to be (about 192lbs when I (re-)started biking, about 10 less now). I started out on a "comfort bike", a Giant Se..something or other, Sedona? Sierra? Oneathose. Boy was she ever heavy! Just ask Trek420 who lifted her onto a car-top rack once! But for commuting around town and getting in shape initially, she did the job. And she was cheap. When I decided I could afford it, I traded her in and upgraded to a Trek "fitness bike". This is still a hybrid, but muuuuuch lighter weight and with a somewhat more forward-leaning sitting position (i.e. slightly more aerodynamic). Between those two, I also have an older Trek 7000 (steel hybrid) but didn't have it with me last year when I did all that biking. The 7000 is now my bad-weather bike (or will be when I get a decent saddle on it). The new faster, lighter, sleeker 7.6 will be for long rides (wheeeee ) and good-weather commutes. I may even put studded tires on the 7000 and try winter commuting this year .

The most important thing with all these bikes was how they felt when I test rode them -- how they fit, whether I was comfortable with the gear range, whether I was comfortable with the seating angle. I can't crouch double like racers do, because I wear an ostomy bag. Sitting pretty much straight up is more comfortable and down leaves me less nervous about the bandage coming undone. And I'm lousy at hills, so I need some seriously low gears ... although a few high ones for speed on the flat road or a downhill are nice too.

Anyway, the conclusion is:
Look at hybrids. There's a whole range of them from "comfort" to nearly road bikes. Within that range, you just need to test ride them and find out what feels right. If it feels right you'll ride it, and that's what you're aiming for. Have fun!