NORTHWEST
Start your Northwest Best Day Ever with a fancy latte and a BYOAB (build your own acai bowl) at Better Days (instagram.com/betterdayscaffe); weather permitting, enjoy the breezy patio. Then it’s time for a 2.7-mile stroll around Lone Mountain, taking in the ultimate vista of Las Vegas. Stop into Dragon Castle Books (dragon-castle-books.square.site) to let your imagination wander among its many shelves. Getting hungry? Head to Namu Korean Tapas & BBQ (namutapas.com) for a unique lunch, then take a date or friend to get creative at Vibes DIY Studio (vibesdiystudio.com), where you can paint or learn how to tuft a stylish rug. Finish your day with dinner and drinks at Nittaya’s Secret Kitchen (nittayassecretkitchen.com), which offers two locations of the best Thai food in the northwest. – KDS
ARTS DISTRICT/WINCHESTER
An Arts District/Winchester Best Day Ever begins with coffee and a pastry from Colombian bakery Pasabocas (pasabocasbakery.com) in the Commercial Center, then a stroll around the storefronts to see if the Sci-Fi Center (thescificenter.com) or Avantpop Books (avantpopbooks.com) have anything you can’t live without. Later head east of the Strip to grab tacos and a beer at Bajamar (bajamarstyle.com) before checking out the theater at Majestic Repertory (majesticrepertory.com) or music at Swan Dive (swandivelv.com). Afterward, discuss what you just saw over a cocktail at Liquid Diet (instagram.com/liquid.diet.dtlv) or a cone at Cream Me (icecreamlv.com). – LTR
CHINATOWN
As a chef and a fanatic food lover, here’s my Chinatown Best Day Ever. Morning: Brunch at Palette Tea Lounge (palettelv.com) for the pinnacle of delectable dim sum in Las Vegas. The roasted Peking duck set is great for a group; the presentation is beautiful, and the skin is chicharron crispy. And I can’t get enough of the supreme soy tiger prawns, an indulgent bite of seafood umami. Afternoon: The decadent corn dogs are worth the wait at CrunCheese Korean Hot Dog (cruncheeseusa.com). I can’t vouch for their nutritional value, but I can tell you they’re sinfully delicious. The ultimate guilty pleasure is the potato mozza — a chunk of cheese dipped in batter, rolled in diced potatoes, then deep fried. Don’t tell your cardiologist. Evening: First, I’d stop at ShangHai Taste and get two orders of the sheng jian (pan fried soup dumplings), one of my favorite dishes in all of Chinatown Vegas. Then I’d go to Xiao Long Dumplings (xiaolongdumplings.com) in Chinatown Plaza. Try the cream cheese and pork soup dumplings; they’re like a cheeseburger and soup in one moist bite. Pop a few into your mouth to end your Chinatown best day ever. – LBM
SOUTHWEST
Jumpstart your Southwest Best Day Ever with a smoked brisket hash at Mama Bird (mamabirdsk.com). Then walk it off with a 30-minute trek around Exploration Peak Park (clarkcountynv.gov). From there, grab a pick-me-up at Cane Juice Bar & Café (canejuicebar.com); I suggest the original sugarcane juice. For lunch, if they’re there, say hello to owners Bryce Krausman and chef Dalton Wilson at DW Bistro (dwbistro.com) Their salmon bowl, Jamaican curry, and Jamaican carrot cake are “off the hook,” as Guy Fieri would say. After, walk around IKEA (ikea.com) before heading to dinner at Black Sheep (blacksheepvegas.com), where chef Jamie Tran’s multiflavored, salmon skin tacos pop in the mouth like firecrackers. Around the corner, unwind at Bel-Aire Backyard’s outdoor pool at Durango Resort (durangoresort.com), where locals receive complimentary entry during Recess Fridays from 4-10 p.m. – SB
HENDERSON
Your Henderson Best Day Ever begins early at Breakfast Junkies (breakfastjunkiesnv.com), near the Inspirada neighborhood. Carb up, people — Hendo sprawls across 118 square miles, and we’re going tip to tail. After breakfast, drive past the nearby Raiders HQ in hopes of seeing Mark Davis’ barber entering the facility, bowl in hand. Then brace yourself for plenty of live tweeting during an easy, lovely hike at the Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve (cityofhenderson.com). (Biology note: If you see an owl, hide your Tootsie Roll Pops.) A short drive away is your cool-down, a walkabout of the Ethel M Chocolate Factory and Botanical Cactus Garden (ethelm.com). Your candy purchases will tide you over during the longish trek to Lake Las Vegas, where the manmade lake offers both a pleasant setting for lunch at Mimi’ and Coco’ Bistro (mimiandcocollv.com), and a conversation prompt about wise water use. Next: The Clark County Museum (clarkcountynv.gov), one of Henderson’s hidden-ish gems, offers a selfie wonderland of exhibits, train cars, old mining gear, and a street of preserved houses. Wrap up on Water Street, where rapid modernization is helping the city shed its “Hendertucky” stigma. After dinner at the foodie-approved Azzurra Cucina Italiana (azzurracucina.com), burn your last energy reserves grooving to live music at the Gold Mine Tavern (goldminetavern.com), much gussied-up from its dive-bar days. – SD