I am happy to hear that you are taking the advice given, a lot of people don't. That being said your bike of choice may depend more on your location than what we all like. For instance, I live in St. Cloud MN and there is not a GT dealer, however there are Salsa, Surly, Cannondale, Trek, Specialized and a couple other dealers but if you live in an area with only one LBS then you will want to choose something they have that you can test ride. I would recommend, go to the LBS, check it out, you don't have to talk to anyone, you don't have to test ride, just have a look around, get a feel for it. See if you like the store, the people. See what brands they carry. If you decide to talk to some one, ask if they carry any steel bikes
Report back with what you found.