I'm not a fan of padded shorts, either.
I am ok with tri shorts, but my favorite are plain ol' Under Armour compression shorts (7 inch inseams work best for my long legs). Also love the various gussetted pants and shorts that are out there. No nasty seam bump, and quite comfortable for riding. Diamond Gusset jeans and Rivendell's MUSA shorts/pants/capris spring to mind.
Diamond Gusset and MUSA are made in the USA.
(so are "Not Your Daughter's Jeans," for those of you who have cyclist's thighs and buns. Trek420 looks so good in hers that I'm going out to buy a pair for myself tonight!)
"If Americans want to live the American Dream, they should go to Denmark." - Richard Wilkinson