Timber, thanks for adding to the advice here!

Anyway, I went to the other bike shop (Papillon) today. I wasn't impressed with their selection (It seems they only stock Giant bikes), so I revisited Spokes. After test-riding the Trek 7.3 FX and the Specialized TriCross, I went ahead and bit on the TriCross! It just felt a little bit nicer overall--the gear shifters seem nicer, the seat is a little more comfy (although I imagine I'll end up spending a little more on a nicer seat soon), and the handles are a little nicer--I really like the multiple choices for hand positions and brake handles.

Now it's going to be an interesting week biking it to and from work...I'll provide an update next weekend on how it goes!