You might be an Austin newcomer if …

20 signs you might be an Austin newcomer

In-N-Out, neon sign, hamburgers, burgers

Pumped about the In-N-Outs opening? You might be a newcomer.

(Inspired by Jeff Foxworthy, whose Redfest is coming to Austin in May.)

If you ever referred to your place on Braker Lane as "Central"... you might be an Austin newcomer.

If your band just moved to town and you're waiting for a club booker to call you back ... you might be an Austin newcomer.

If you've never scored drugs at a building that's now a Bird's Barbershop ... you might be an Austin newcomer.

If you're a musician and you don't know how to make 35 sandwiches an hour … you might be an Austin newcomer.

If you think Dale Watson used to have hits ... you might be an Austin newcomer.

If the name 'Frosty' makes you think of a snowman instead of a drummer ... you might be an Austin newcomer.

If you think Antone's is the home of the blues ... you might be an Austin newcomer.

If you thought the name "Lake" Travis was ironic ... you might be an Austin newcomer.

If seeing a "Don't Move Here" shirt makes you laugh out loud — so original ... you might be an Austin newcomer.

If your condo is two blocks from Hut's and you drive to Round Rock and wait in long lines for In-N-Out ... you might be an Austin newcomer.

If you’ve ever been more excited to see Robert Plant than the skinny red-headed chick he’s with … you might be an Austin newcomer.

If you're wondering who in the hell would put a honky tonk in the middle of a condo project ... you might be an Austin newcomer.

If you've ever walked right out of a rock n' roll club because it smells of vomit ... you might be an Austin newcomer.

If you can't wait for that new place to open where something called Arkie's Grill used to be ... you might be an Austin newcomer.

If you're a veteran musician and you're not studying for your real estate license right now ... you might be an Austin newcomer.

If you've ever gone to a restaurant because you saw a Guy Fieri segment there on the Food Network ... you might be an Austin newcomer.

If you’ve ever gone to the Y in Oak Hill to work out … you might be an Austin newcomer.

If you’re really excited about all the music festivals and 10 K runs in town … you might be an Austin newcomer.

If you've ever looked for the owner of Juan in a Million to shake his hand ... you might be an Austin newcomer.

If you think the outdoor stage at Threadgill's on Riverside is where Janis Joplin got her start ... you might be an Austin newcomer.

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More Foraging

Free 'food forest' in East Austin expands with thousands of new plants

Angelina Alanis at Festival Beach Food Forest

Photo courtesy of KVUE

Angelina Alanis gives a tour of the garden, which is open to anyone.

In East Austin, there is an edible forest garden called Festival Beach Food Forest where anyone can walk around and harvest free produce, nuts, medicinal plant leaves and herbs. And over the summer, it grew to several times its size.

The forest has fig trees, peach trees, grapevines, asparagus and more that's not in season right now. You can grab passionfruit and plants like yaupon holly, with leaves that can make a caffeinated tea, rosemary and lemon balm.

"[Lemon balm] is part of the mint family," said Angelina Alanis, communication and partnership coordinator for Festival Beach Food Forest. "It has a lemony taste but it's good for a nervous stomach. I'm prone to anxiety so I always grab a hunk."

The food forest is located right next to Interstate 35 and Lady Bird Lake on 29 Waller St., near a part of town that's known for being a food desert, lacking grocery stores.

"There's as much as a 20-year life expectancy difference between parts of East and West Austin, and a lot of that comes down to food access, health care access and also access to nature."

Alanis said for the past nine years, the volunteer-based grassroots project been helping with the issue and just recently expanded in the summer from two-thirds of an acre of city parkland to over 3.5 acres.

"We're going to have hundreds of new trees," said Alanis. "We've already planted 150 new trees in the area and then thousands of plants on the ground."

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They also plan to add a community kitchen and a pavilion to do things like cooking classes or informational sessions.

Read the full story at KVUE.com.

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