46 yo and thinking about this bike

[Trek420]

Close to your price point and a good value I think:

http://www.konaworld.com/womens.cfm?content=kali

http://www.bianchiusa.com/bikes/road...ne-7-dama-105/

http://jamisbikes.com/usa/thebikes/r...litecompf.html

probably a little higher price but worth it:

http://surlybikes.com/bikes/pacer

[cmantelope]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone! Definitely need to try more bikes before I decide....