I decided to grab some dinner nearby work to try and wait out traffic. I stopped by Trade Food Hall in Irvine, which is a small food court-esque area which offers at least 5 different restaurants. The food was pricey as is any open/outdoor modern food area is, but I will say the food is very food. I would highly recommend the salmon onigiri from Ricebunn. I was able to get through a few pages in my current read, I’ll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara, while waiting for my food.

What’s nice about Trade Food Hall is that it feels hidden. There weren’t a lot of people there and it was tucked in a corner of a small plaza. The area itself is mainly skyscrapers and offices. In fact, just across the street was Fidelity. The open wall of the food hall invited a comfortable, casual atmosphere as well as plenty of natural lighting and air. It wasn’t too warm in the evening so it wasn’t stuffy or uncomfortable.

Ineffectively, I ended up getting home later than I usually would if I were to sit through traffic, but I did experience less traffic than usual. It’s effective for saving gas, but not effective for saving time. Oh well, I tried.