A picky eater with lots of allergies and her husband visit CJ Cannons.

Fly Away

A small regional airport in Vero Beach, Florida, recently opened its sky to non-stop commercial flights. There are many wonderful things about this development. We can now fly from our cold and dismal northern world direct to Florida where the skies are blue and the sun is warm. Tickets are cheap which means we can escape the frozen tundra that is New England in the winter at any time. But the best and most important reason to fly to Vero Beach in the winter is my mom-in-law lives nearby. And her birthday is in January! So not only is it a quick flight to a warmer climate, but we also get cake 🙂

Drive Away

As a nervous flyer, I prefer my flights quick and turbulence free. And that’s exactly what we got. Vero Beach is home to an extremely small airport that typically caters to regional planes. However, imagine my surprise when I stepped out of the airplane and onto a staircase. Well, not really a staircase, but a long steep ramp. And let me tell you, I enjoy going down as much as I enjoy flying up. I gripped the railing and made my descent doing my best to stay away from out of control carry-ons and oblivious humans. When my feet finally landed on the tarmac, I noticed throngs of people waving and cheering. This was new. When was the last time, friends and family were allowed past TSA to greet their loved ones as they stepped off the plane? I’m not sure I remember. But there they were, dozens of smiling faces and outstretched arms awaiting an embrace. A wonderful start to a mini-vacation. We squeezed ourselves into my mom-in-law’s car and off we drove into the sunset. Okay, that’s not true. The sun had long set, but it leaves a nice image doesn’t it?

Eat Away

For four days, we ate, and talked, and laughed. It was fantastic! Even for me, who absolutely hates to just sit. It was really nice to just relax and enjoy each other’s company. And my mom-in-law cooks the most delicious meals. She kept it simple since we were are large crowd, but the pasta with homemade sauce, the meatballs made from scratch, and the fried chicken parmesan…yum! Since we were also celebrating her birthday, I ordered a cake from the best grocery store in the country – Publix. I don’t really know if it’s the best in the country, but we don’t have this grocery option in the northeast and I’ve never seen a more impressive bakery. The double layer chocolate quarter sheet cake made me drool. I do have a bit of a sweet tooth…

Away Away

Our visit ended too quickly, and we made our way back to the airport on a sunny Monday afternoon. We had a few hours before check in, so we stowed our bags behind a counter at CJ Cannons, the airport restaurant. Surprisingly, this restaurant is a local favorite despite being annexed to an airport. In fact, I’m fairly certain the restaurant is actually larger than the airport. Model planes hanging from the lobby ceiling and newspaper articles decorating the walls inspired a sense of nostalgia. In the dining area, 1930s style suitcases atop a pony wall created an interesting view. Windows spanning the opposite wall overlooking the runway lined with coconut filled palm trees, gave us a perfect view of planes landing and taking off, but without the noise.

Click the meal to read all about it

Dan – Open Face Turkey Sandwich

Lis – Plain Burger

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