I'd like to encourage you to test ride some bikes before you make any purchase. I'm a big fan of comfort and ease of use. Meaning you will be happiest with a bike who's controls and mechanisms seem the most intuitive and comfortable for you. Your feet; your hands; your a*s, etc. If you're too busy figuring out what's going on with the bike you might get clipped by a somewhat moving city omnibus!
Also, since you have an actual budget you should add up the cost of the "goodies" and subtract that from your budget so you will know that perhaps you are looking for a $500. bike and not a $1,000 bike. The "goodies" add up.
strobes
clothes
tools, etc
Keep an open mind! :-)