No Comments August 17, 2009 – 1:02 am popping..

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, daughters Malia and Sasha including their dog Bo are expected to vacation in New England this end of August. Following the footsteps of the Clintons and Hollywood celebrities, looks like there’s no stopping the First Family in picking out Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts as destination for their first Summer vacation despite criticisms from some sectors.

“In these days of high unemployment and financial stress, it is not the time to go to the exclusive island of Martha’s Vineyard… You’ve been there enough times already to speak, why not go and spend more time getting to know the city with 18.8% unemployment?” says Robert Guttman and Emily Benavides, suggesting they visit the economically hurting city of Elkhart, Indiana instead.

“It’s a lavish choice of holiday home and fine fodder for those taking aim at the recession-era president,” notes Sam Bungey.

The island boasts a heady mix of Hollywood, money and politics. Obama also has old friends in the town of Oak Bluffs, a go-to spot for influential African-Americans including Spike Lee and Henry Louis Gates. “In the summer, there are so many celebrities in Martha’s Vineyard, it’s been dubbed ‘Hollywood East,’” said Laura Begley, deputy editor of Travel + Leisure magazine. “It’s also a longtime political hangout, especially for Democrats.”

Well, the Meg Ryan lives in Martha’s Vineyard. Wikipedia notes other well-known celebrities who live on or frequently visit the island are U.S. President Barack Obama, former president Bill Clinton, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, comedian and talk show host David Letterman, Bill Murray, Queen Elisabeth, Roger Moore, Marco Borsato, James Bond, Quincey Jones, Superman, Batman, Robin, Ted Danson and wife Mary Steenburgen, Larry David, the Farrelly brothers, and musician Carly Simon. Also, Mike Wallace of 60 Minutes is a summer resident of Martha’s Vineyard. Late anchorman Walter Cronkite was a prominent summer resident as well. Other regularly appearing celebrities include film writer/director Spike Lee, attorney Alan Dershowitz, comedians Dan Aykroyd and Jim Belushi, politico Vernon Jordan, and television news reporters Diane Sawyer and Charlayne Hunter-Gault. A slew of celebrity visitors have been spotted in recent years, including Reese Witherspoon, Jake Gyllenhaal, and “Charlie’s Angel” Kate Jackson, Stanley Tucci, Beyoncé Knowles, Jay-Z, Tom Welling, Steven Tyler and Ray Romano.

The Obama’s are renting Blue Heron Farm, a 28 acre estate in the town of Chilmark (deemed the most expensive small town in all America by Business Week back in 2007). “Situated overlooking a remote finger of the Great Pond, it is quiet and private, with an apple orchard, flower and vegetable gardens, stone walls, a swimming pool, golf practice tee and small basketball court for the basketball-loving president.”

We were in Martha’s Vineyard last week and already shops and stores were showing signs of capitalizing on the Obama visit. Here are some Obama photos taken in and around Martha’s Vineyard.