My choices? A Tokina 11-16 f/4 , a Nikkor 16-85 f/3.5/5.6, and a Nikkor 70-200 f/2.8. The first two are DX for small sensors, and the 70-200 is probably one of the finest mid range tele zooms out there.. Off the top of my head you'll hit the top end of your budget, the Tokina runs 500ish, the 16-85 600ish and the 70-200 1500 online. B&H Photo and Adorama are solid online vendors out of NYC and usually have all three. I feel its a good mix of focal length and speed. None are prohibitively heavy. My basic setup is everything except the Tokina 11-16. I haul a Nikkor 300 f/4 in it's place. The 11-16s are hard to come by because they are popular. I would also look into a Think Tank belt rig to haul them. I use a Speed Freak belt with a lightspeed pouch for my flash. I added a waterbottle holder and a small utility pouch for my cell.
Think Tank is here.Oh afterthought, have both B&H and Adorama, if you choose that route, quote you a price for the 18-200, they seem to hold their value on the used market.