On Friday, my best friend Brad and I drove down to Portland for the day.

I tell people that Portland is pretty much Seattle’s more laid-back sister city. It was exciting to finally be able to show my best friend my favorite spots in this illustrious place! There was a list of places to go, and we had plans to eat our way through, meander around art galleries, and pet cats.

First, we arrived at Homegrown Smoker, which is a vegan BBQ restaurant.

Our GPS took us to a corner of Portland that I’ve never been before, and I was getting concerned because none of it looked familiar. It turns out the BBQ joint moved from being a food cart at the end of Mississippi Ave to a sit-in restaurant in the Northwest part of the city. I had the Buff Burrito and Brad had the combo plate. Homegrown Smoker does not mess around; the food was impressive, as always. Seriously, they do not mess around.

We next went to Blue Star donuts to get a couple vegan donuts to go. We were pretty full from having vegan barbeque food, but I kept telling Brad that Blue Star’s vegan donuts are just as delicious as Seattle’s counterpart, Mighty-O.

As a side note, we saw this on the wall, and I shamelessly took a photo. My friend rolled his eyes and told me to see the irony behind it. I rolled my eyes right back and bought him donuts.

From there, we went to Purringtons Cat Lounge, which is exactly what it sounds like. Admission to chill with the cats is $8 for an hour visit.

Brad and I have a tendency to meow at each other like a pair of odd best friends do, so we could not pass up a visit to Portland’s cat cafe. I swear, whenever I’m around cats, a warm tingly feeling starts in the back of my head and spreads down my spine. I can’t possibly be the only one who feels this way.

From Purringtons, we headed a little back north to the Alberta Arts District to visit Antler Gallery, an exhibition art space that features nature-themed drawings, paintings, sculptures, and jewelry. Currently artists Lisa Ericson, David Rice, and Danny Samuels are exhibiting work. Every time I’m always blown away by the skill of artists in this gallery.

I convinced Brad to drive us to the vegan mini-mall, which includes Herbivore, Food Fight Grocery, Sweet Pea Bakery, and Scapegoat Tattoo. No trip to Portland is complete without visiting those places! So, we saved the best for last. Granted, I’ve never actually stepped inside Scapegoat because I’m extremely picky about tattoos. The other three sell food, snacks, and non-edible vegan goods, such as soap, clothes, and cosmetics.

I thought of moving to Portland several times. It sure is fun to visit and I always feel right at home. But as much as Portland is amazing, it feels like Seattle has more to offer. There’s also the sense of quirkiness that Portland is known for, which I’ve been growing out of. That show Portlandia is supposed to be an exaggeration of what Portland is like. Except…a lot of it is pretty much true. From the fun personality of the city to the new hip bakery that people line up the block for, you get a glimpse into what it’s like in a way.

The day trip wasn’t even that long. We spent a little over six hours there. I have to say that six hours is nowhere nearly enough time to do all of your favorite things. I needed to decompress after traveling; stopping abruptly after going to so many places around the world can be disorienting. I was hoping that Portland could alleviate some of that.

Or maybe it’s better to dive right back into my Seattle life instead of escaping to Portland for a day. You know, pick up where things were left off. But things aren’t the same.

Till next time, Portland!