Unique

It takes a ritzy San Francisco [1] neighborhood to support a six-day-a-week orchid store. Beautiful Orchids (3319 Sacramento St., 415/567-2443, www.beautifulorchids.com [2], Mon.–Fri. 10 a.m.–9 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m.–5 p.m.) specializes in rarified live orchid plants. Every color of the rainbow, amazing shapes, and waterfall figures spill from elegant planters.

Expect to pay a premium for these rare hand-tended flowers, and to spend even more to ship them home. You can also find elegant home accessories here, most picked to complement the orchids rather than the other way around.