Stores in NYC are always short on space so they do not have room to store or display out of season items. I've probably been in 6-8 shoe stores or departments in the past month and the only place I saw boots was a sad little stand of leftovers in the back of a TJ Maxx store.

Fall items including boots will show up in August, but not much if anything before then. Sorry!

Fryes in SOHO had an excellent selection of boots last week. My step daughter tried on at least four different models of low heeled, black knee high boots, I tried on at least as many myself!

Phread - I googled the Fryes store and this phrase popped out at me in a write up about it - "a 6,000 square foot boot mecca". Sounds just like what I'm looking for.

We have a day with plans to just wander around in the downtown area, so I will specifically make it a point to visit there. Thanks!

How about Harry's Shoes: http://www.harrys-shoes.com/shop.php?cPath=22_52

Harry's is one of the places I've been in recently and no boots there. I was looking for sandals in the middle of the winter and I was equally out of luck

Chepar, I hope Frye works out for you. The Frye boots I've seen are based on cowboy boots and may not be as suited to a non-standard calf size. If I were you, I'd look on their website, where they list calf circumference and the type of leather used and narrow it down to a couple of styles. Then phone or e-mail the store to see if they think they'd work for you or if they have other suggestions.

Now that Frye has come up, it reminds me that theres an Ugg store on Columbus Avenue on the Upper West Side. Their styles are much more varied than the typical flat shapeless boots they're known for. I don't know if they have much of a selection now, and the boots I saw and loved in the winter were pricey ($500 and up) but you might check it out

I would go to SoHo late morning/early afternoon. Visit the Frye store, roam around and have lunch. NYC wakes up late and in SoHo its even more fashionably late.

and I also second the suggestion in the other thread about Harry's & Tip Top on the UWS. You might also try Marmi shoes in East Midtown if you are in the neighborhood.

You may have some luck at Foot Gear Plus on the corner of 1st Ave and St. Marks Place (equivalent to 8th Street geographically) in the East Village. This tiny shop crams in so many shoes between its walls! They specialize in the comfort-type brands (e.g., Hush Puppies, Rieker, etc.) and tend to have really good prices... They don't seem to have a website - I'm not surprised, they're pretty old-school - but at any rate you could call them and see if they still have boots in stock.
www.yelp.com/biz/foot-gear-plus-new-york

If that's out of the way for your plans, you could always justify it with a reservation at Momofuku, right up the street.
www.momofuku.com/noodle

I hear you about not wanting to buy tall boots online. You could try someplace like Zappos, though, which has a really good return policy. (Their policy has been such a success that other online retailers are beginning to implement it too!)
www.zappos.com

Thanks for all of the suggestions, I'm definitely taking note.

I've looked at Zappos and have found several pairs of boots that fit my needs - if I don't find anything on this trip I'll probably go that route.

The problem with me is even though I know Zappos has free shipping both ways, I'm REALLY lazy about returns. If I get something online and it's ok, not great and not exactly what I'm looking for - I'll still keep it because I'm lazy and don't want to bother with taking the item to the post office to send it back. However, maybe in the case of a pair of boots that cost several hundred dollars, I might find myself with enough energy to send back the pair if it doesn't work for me (you would hope, at least).