First off, I used the search bar but did not find what I am looking for.

I am a very overweight guy in my twenties and have wanted to ride a bike again for the longest time. I learned in elementary/middle school, but haven’t touched a bike since then. Pre-COVID, I got a trainer at my local gym/club and lost about 90 pounds, but gained most of it back since quarantine in March 2020. I would like to lose the weight differently this time and plan to finally pick up biking again. I have some questions/thoughts:

(1) How realistic is it for me to re-learn to ride in the city? For reference, I live in the East Village. I am wondering if there is an area nearby with lots of open space for me to learn on a rental bike.

(2) Is Brooklyn Bicycle Co. the place to buy from? Or are there other places I should consider? Should I wait until I lose a bit more weight to buy a bike so that I do not have to worry about limiting my choices to ones that can hold my current weight (high 200’s)?

(3) Are there any less-popular areas in the city that I should frequently ride through? I am trying to do this where there are not many people because I am embarrassed by my weight. I recognize that the answer, of course, is to say “fuck the haters,” but assume for a moment that I do not go that route.

If anyone has any general thoughts or recommendations unrelated to what I posted above, feel free to share and be as brutally honest as you want - I never get offended. My goal, aside from the weight loss, is to gain the confidence and the skill to be able to ride to work (Bryant Park) once my firm returns to the office (maybe October).