Thanks All for the advice and thoughtful responses.

A little bit of background, I live in the suburbs of NYC - not exactly a bike-friendly community as there are tons of hills, sharp turns and very little bikes on the road. Most bike riders ride in designated areas (trails, parks etc). While I would love to ride to work, there is no direct path. I would have to cut through the Bronx (yikes!) or get on a parkway (not an option). There are bike trails along the highways but they do not all tie together.

I would love to ride in the early morning but my husband actually leaves early in the morning for work and I have 2 kids at home.

I think riding the trail at night is not an option (I'm paranoid) so maybe I can buy a really good light and ride around my neighborhood or a nearby school (lighted) at night. I may pick up an airzound as well (may make me feel safer). I do have cold weather riding gear so at least I can check off that box!

The other option is to enroll in a gym and take up spinning. I have a couple of gyms in the area that I can look into. I am waiting for a bikeshare program to become available in NYC. When that happens, I'm hoping I can get some lunchtime rides in but the program won't roll out until next year. Still, it's something to look forward to

Thank you again for your help.