The Village Hat Shop in Seaport Village, Downtown San Diego, California

For local San Diegans, a trip to Seaport Village isn't complete without a browsing session at the Village Hat Shop. This cozy little haven for hat enthusiasts offers anything from the utility hats you wear while tending the garden, to the casual hats to keep your sensitive nose from turning Rudolph red from the bright California sun while strolling along the Embarcadero, to the dressy or fancy hats that'll turn you into a mini-Humphrey Bogart or a giant chicken or court-jester... or all of the above if your neck happens to support more than a single head.

Aside from the impressive collection of ordinary (and not so ordinary) headgear, the Village Hat Shop also does hat-fitting, stretching (in case those heavy text books you've been reading have been enlarging the size of your cranium... and hopefully also the material that it holds), and even custom-embroidery. A real full-service place for the heady and the nerdy alike. All that is required is that you've got a head and chances are good that they can come up with a hat that'll fit it.

The price here is on the high side (hardly any hat goes for less than $12), and so most of the people that walk in the door are really there to browse and to try on funny hats (like that chicken one in the photo above) and taking pictures of themselves looking like a product of disastrous genetic engineering. This, however, is a rather dangerous practice... The longer you spend in this shop, the more you are sprung by hats that keep looking more and more irresistible to your wallet. Ten minutes is the maximum amount of time I'd prescribe for a trip through this place if you really don't want to end up being seduced by a soft fedora or other alluring chapeaux into taking them home with you (and would you really be wearing the thing once you've bought it?).

On the other hand, if you own more than one head, there is simply no better place in town to shop for them than at the Village Hat Shop in Seaport Village. Not only can you be sure to find just the right hat to suit each head's unique personality, but you're more likely to get a discount when you buy more than one item at a time. The staff are really friendly and cool about letting you browse and try on different heads hats in peace unless you look like you can use some help getting out of one (did I mention that hats here can be rather extraordinary?).

The Village Hat Shop: 853 W Harbor Dr, San Diego, CA 92101. Tel (619) 233-7236. Opens daily from 10AM-9PM. Website: www.villagehatshop.com