You can almost gain 2 inches by reshaping your seat...though it makes the seat slightly less comfortable. Mine has been like that for a few years.
And keep in mind, the more practice riding you get, the less you notice how tall it is.
In the beginning I felt I HAD to lower it just to be able to ride it...if I got a new one today, I'ld probably hold off and see how well I did for a while.
Also, keep in mind your tire profile can affect seat height, depending on what you have.