It’s rush hour for Carin Huurnink.
The birds are chirping in the willow trees as she bicycles along the San Diego Creek Trail.
“It’s easy,” she says of her 10-minute ride to Blizzard Entertainment, where she works as a video-game animator. “And I love this scenery.”
A few minutes later, she hops off her bike at the world-famous Blizzard offices.
“I actually picked Los Olivos community so I can bike to work,” she says. “It’s closer by bike than by car, and it’s just nice scenery. You have these big hills to look at, and when the sun sets, it’s really beautiful.”
Master-planned convenience
Many residents of the Spectrum District’s new home community of Barcelona and apartment communities of Los Olivos, The Village, The Park, Centerpointe, Westview and the soon-to-open Promenade Apartment Homes can walk or bike to work.
The Spectrum District was masterplanned with bike and walking paths to connect residents to nearby offices, shopping, entertainment and parks.
These trails are part of Irvine’s 362 miles of bikeways – the best in Orange County, according to the League of American Bicyclists.
“The Spectrum is unique,” says Ville Houttu, CEO of the awardwinning app maker Vincit California.
“I’ve noticed a lot of clients like to visit us here because we can go for coffee, dinner, cocktails or whatever – without having to drive.”
No car necessary
Like many in the Spectrum District, Huurnink doesn’t even own a car.
For grocery shopping, she walks to Whole Foods Market across the street.
She either bikes or walks to dine out and watch movies at Irvine Spectrum Center.
To go a bit farther, she takes Uber or Lyft.
Huurnink grew up in the Netherlands but has fallen in love with Irvine.
“It’s super safe, and people are nice here,” she says. “And the weather’s great.”
