In the market for a new bike, advice welcomed!

Hey friends, I'm in the market for a new bike and I'll just go down the checklist:

Experience: Pretty experienced? I own a fixed gear and a hard-tail mountain bike. The only type of bike I've never rode is a gear road bike.

Price:$1000-$1200, give or take a few. Used is definitely an option. Looking for a roadbike for some city commuting.

Use: Primarily commuting and just riding around, getting from A to B and back if you will.

Distance: Depending on where I'm going, I'd say about 10-20 miles a day, maybe 3 days a week.

Riding Conditions: NYC Streets, mostly flat, some hills here and there, potholes and cab drivers that dont know how to drive. I do ride in Manhattan traffic. I try not to ride when there's rain in the forecast.

Location: Good 'ole Brooklyn, NY.

Some bikes that I was looking at just on the interwebs was the Trek 520 and the Specialized Sport Triple, but of course open to other suggestions. I like the idea of the stiffness of steel frames especially for NYC streets, but with that being said I've never rode an aluminum frame bike.

Edit: Also if it's relevant, but I'm 5'8" and about 150lbs.

Thanks friends!