8 a.m. Skip the line for breakfast
You’d never guess that Egghead, the no-frills take-out counter responsible for what might be Vegas’s most perfect breakfast sandwich, is owned by the same company as mega-clubs like Marquee and TAO — though turnout here can be just as high. To beat the morning rush, show up early (it opens at 7 a.m.) and enjoy the signature Midtown sandwich ($13), slathered in spicy aioli and fried shallots, in relative peace. (Pro tip: Stuff the pecorino-infused cheesy hashbrown, $7, inside the sandwich). Walk it off at the Aria resort’s adjoining mall, the Shops at Crystals, whose interior features public art installations like “Halo,” a series of clear cylinders filled with hypnotic whirlpools. Upstairs, the artist James Turrell’s “Shards of Color” offers playful perspectives on the mall’s dramatic, angular architecture.
11 a.m. Kayak to the Emerald Cave
Forty-five minutes east of Vegas, the Black Canyon Water Trail winds through the scenic Eldorado Mountains along the Arizona-Nevada border. This stretch of the Colorado River is calm and clear after passing through the Hoover Dam’s 300-ton turbines — perfect conditions for a kayaking trip to the Emerald Cave, a tiny grotto that becomes phosphorescent when the sun hits it just right (a 1997 photograph on the cover of Arizona Highways magazine turned it into a must-stop for nature lovers). Evolution Tours’ Emerald Cave Express (from $150, four hours) includes pickup and drop-off on the Strip, which means all you have to worry about is sunscreen and a good hat.
