MARTHA'S VINEYARD, Mass. — Souvenir shops sell "Summer White House 2009" T-shirts.
The Offshore Ale Co. has a new "Presidenti Ale" brew.
President Obama's scheduled arrival Sunday for his first week-long vacation since taking office has this island near Cape Cod in a dither. Some worry about traffic, but business owners hope the visit will draw tourists in a year that has been slower than usual.
"People are excited about this president and that he's coming in his first year," says Nancy Gardella, executive director of the Martha's Vineyard Chamber of Commerce. The elite retreat favored by Democrats has hosted presidents before, notably Bill Clinton (a return visitor since 1993). Obama has vacationed here before.
He is due to stay with his family at Blue Heron Farm, a secluded estate with tennis court, pool, golf tee and basketball court. Similar properties rent for $30,000 and up a week.
The pricey rental in hard times has drawn criticism. "The president is paying for his family's vacation," deputy press secretary Bill Burton says.
Obama has addressed the question. "Do I think every single day about the hardships that people are going through? Absolutely," he said in an interview with Katie Couric. "Do I think the American people think that because of those hardships I shouldn't spend some quality time with my daughters? I don't think that's what the American people think."
Supporters of the getaway include Hugh Taylor, owner of the Vineyard's The Outermost Inn.
Says Taylor, brother of singer James Taylor: "They should just take a walk on the beach, get squirted in the face by a clam, watch an osprey. What I would like to see (Obama) do is just enjoy this place with his children."
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