Barack Obama is back in his favorite vacation spot on Martha’s Vineyard, but the former president’s laying lower than usual this year.
Obama arrived last Sunday, on his 58th birthday, accompanied by wife Michelle. He was seen golfing at Farm Neck Golf Club in Oak Bluffs, playing with former Boston Celtic Ray Allen and Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry.
Obama’s often spotted around the island during his annual visits, golfing, cycling, or dining out. And renters in Edgartown say they saw him paddleboarding on Turkeyland Cove one morning. But the Obama buzz is tamped down this year, according to a number of restaurant owners who normally hear from the president.
Advertisement
“We haven’t heard anything,” said Ben DeForest, owner of the Cardboard Box. The Obamas dined at the Oak Bluffs restaurant last year, drawing a large crowd outside the main drag on Circuit Avenue. “In my personal opinion, he won’t come back,” added DeForest. “It was absolutely crazy.”
Doug Abdelnour, owner of Nancy’s Restaurant, another restaurant the Obamas frequent — and where daughter Sasha landed a job one summer — hadn’t heard anything either. “Nothing,” Abdelnour said. “He’s probably just hanging with his family at the house. It’s still early, though. Maybe in a week or so we’ll start seeing him around.”
The Obamas are renting Boston Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck’s Edgartown estate — a 30-acre property that’s been on the market since August 2015, a source told Boston.com. The Obamas are regular visitors to the island, having retreated to the island seven times during Barack Obama’s presidency.