maunderings of a meandering mind

15 years ago I bought a cheap fedora at the late lamented surplus store in Harvard Square. I kept meaning to replace it with a better hat, but it kept failing to die in spite of being thoroughly crushed a dozen or more times.

Alas, it disappeared at some point this spring. And I'm having a hell of a time finding a replacement. A friend recommended Keezer's in Cambridgeport if I wanted to go the cheap route again: they do indeed have hats that resemble my old one — but in sizes S, M, L, & XL rather than proper hat sizes. An L sits on top of my head; an XL rests on my glasses. Which is probably why men's hats traditionally come in roughly a dozen sizes. Another friend recommended The Walking Company; the staff at the Burlington Mall store thought they might carry hats later in the summer.

I'm more than a little reluctant to buy a hat online: It's very much something I want to try on and look in the mirror. So does anyone know of anyplace in the Boston area that a reasonable range of traditional men's hats?

And if not Boston, surely someone knows of a place in New York? I'm likely to be there later this summer, and if I have to wait til then, I will.

Thanks in advance!