Originally Posted by
brittanywest
Okay guys - I'm headed to the shop soon to start looking at bikes but thought I get your professional opinion as well!
Current bike:
http://biria.com/bicycle/citibike/700c-men
Right now I ride about 6 miles a day 3-4 days a week to work. My ultimate goal is to get rid of my vehicle and commute everywhere. So about 20-25 miles a DAY.
Is this a good bike to be able to accomplish this? What are the best bikes for this sort of riding?
Also - what do you recommend I wear? What are your go-to bike essentials for your ride. How do I accomplish grocery shopping and carrying things? My job requires I carry a lot of paperwork at time.
Anything helps! Cost is not an option as long as it's under or around a grand.
Wow, thank you for all the comments! A few other notes...
-I live in the Indianapolis area which thank goodness is very bicycle friendly. I can get to pretty much anywhere I need to go. I'm not used to commuting *that* far, no more than 5-6 miles at the most. I have to commute to downtown, Broadripple, and Carmel as of right now. Right now I only commute downtown but will have to start going to Bripp/Carmel soon. Those are about 20-25 miles away so it would be a good 40 miles round trip.
-It is mostly pavement, we have a lot of bike lanes and a special trail that will take you forever away. It's called the Monon.
-Of course there is nothing wrong with my bike, I have a love affair with my current bicycle. I just wasn't sure if it was the best one for what I'm wanting to accomplish. Especially speed wise. I want to be able to ride fast.
-I'm guessing my bike is a no go for winter?
So much to learn! I appreciate all the comments. 
Since you've added more info*, I'll modify my earlier advice a bit.
-If you're intending to try the LCF lifestyle, there a couple of questions that you need to answer as part of your bike selection process.
1. Consider disc brakes. They add cost and weight, but offer better stopping power in less than ideal conditions like snow.
2. Consider multimodal to either extend your range or in case of emergencies/illness. The racks on the city buses here only allow a maximum wheelbase of 44", so I keep that number in mind on every bike I look at.
3. You'll probably end up experimenting for yourself on the best way to carry your stuff. That being said, make sure that whatever bike you're looking at has the attachment points for a rear rack.
4. Note that chainstay length plays a major role in how big and what kind of bag(s) you can use on the rack without suffering heel strike.
*Not sure if you're aware, but editing an existing post doesn't 'flag' the system on the index page. It was quite by accident that I discovered your added details.