Originally Posted by mstateglfr

Go to Trek, Giant, and Specialized shops. Between shops with those 3 brands there will be a handful of smaller brands too. At $600, you can find a basic entry level hybrid with rigid fork.
Giant Escape 3 and Trek fx1 are a couple of options.

Originally Posted by Rolla

I don't know what size bike fits you or what kind of riding you plan to do, or how much you ride. In general, for any given price, the fewer bells and whistles the bike has, the better, because that usually means that more money went into the frame, wheels, and components, instead of things like suspension forks and seatposts.

Maybe go talk to the guys at Bike Courier or Middletown Cycling and see if they have anything used, or some recommendations for an inexpensive newer bike.