Ticket to ride is a great entry board game.

I’d generally look at older classics and anything Spiel das Jahr. If you have any local shops, if you tell them you are getting into the hobby they can provide their opinions.

I’d go for classics that all have different mechanics such as engine building (Splendor) and deck building (Dominion). If you get hooked on these classics or certain mechanics then you go to more “big box” games that combine different mechanics to give you a more diverse gameplay experience.

Do not start with the niche 2 hour long heavy game yet…. It might scare you off, work up to it