Drsuess

I am looking at purchasing bikes for my husband and I. I have $1000- $1500 to spend.
My husband and I went to a bike store that was pro Trek and both like the Trek 7300 (around $550 each and 2010 models).
I have only ever had $50 huffy garage sale bikes and couldnt believe what it was like to have a frame that actually fits (I am 5 ft 11). I liked sitting up right too.
My husband had a higher end mountain bike 5+ yrs ago that was stolen. He said he liked the tires on the Trek instead of the mountain bike but wanted to have disc brakes instead.
We want to be able to go for bike rides together and get excercise. We are both ex athletes, gone soft. We also have a enclosed cart of some sort for our daughter who is 1 1/2. It was a gift so I don't know much about the weight or weight limit but it pulls behind the bike (although I heard about one that sits in front of me that might be better too).
I went to another bike shop and they were pro Specialized. He said at the bikes we were looking at brands of bikes were all pretty much the same. He said if I look at higher end mountain bikes or road bikes that certain brands stand out as better.
They had a Specialized Expedition Elite (I think) but I didn't ride it. He also thought my husband might like a Raleigh that had disc brakes and tires that were flat on the top and not on the sides.
I am not sure what features I should really be focusing on and if one brand is far superior to the others.
Any thoughts as to what type of bike I should really be looking at would be helpful and what features I should focus on would be great. Clearly you can see I am an amateur. Thank you!