What is it about the suburbs of New York that make you think a SS/Fixed is not a good idea? The size of bike depends on more than just your weight and height. The most important factor is how well your leg aligns with the crank/pedal. Assuming you can reach the bars - lol. $300 is not a good range to be buying in. If you are willing to work it out very good bikes pop up around $500-$700.

Other questions to answer are things like, do you ride now? are you in decent shape for riding? are you riding for fun or commuting?