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Vice President Joseph Biden Jr. and his wife, Dr. Jill Biden, visited the Southampton area for a brief vacation on Friday and were scheduled to leave Long Island on Wednesday, according to the vice president’s office at the White House.
Mr. Biden reportedly landed at Frances S. Gabreski Airport in Westhampton on Friday afternoon, and his motorcade was spotted entering Southampton Village shortly after 2:30 p.m. that day.
According to the White House, the Bidens were staying as guests at a private residence in the area and had no public events scheduled during their visit.
The Federal Aviation Administration issued a no-fly zone over much of the Westhampton, Southampton and East Hampton air space, in effect Friday afternoon, Alex Hanyo of Malloy Air East, a fixed-base operator in Westhampton, confirmed.
Mr. Biden’s last visit to Southampton Village, also of a personal nature, took place over Memorial Day weekend, when he reportedly stayed at an estate on First Neck Lane in the village.
Sally Richardson, a reservation manager at The Village Latch Hotel on Hill Street, noted on Friday that a “large group of White House people and Secret Service are in the area” and that “there’s not a room to be had in town.”
On Wednesday, before leaving, Mr. Biden, a 6- to 8-handicap golfer, took a lesson with Greg Garvin, the pro at Southampton Golf Club.
COLLEEN REYNOLDS
Colleen Reynolds on Aug 5, 2010