President Obama is heading back up north for a fundraiser with 250 Wall Street high-rollers shelling out $32,000 a piece to get in the door, according to the New York Post.
The fundraiser is being held at the Purchase, New York, house of Robert Wolf, who just last week was playing golf with Obama in Martha's Vineyard and has been one of his closest advisers. Wolf has also been one of the biggest bundlers for Obama's campaigns.
The president's weekend fundraising plans are causing travel pains for New Yorkers planning on getting out of the city for Labor Day weekend.
President Obama’s plan to schmooze Wall Street honchos at a Westchester fund-raiser Friday is grounding wealthy weekenders who planned to fly to the Hamptons or Nantucket for the Labor Day holiday.
The FAA has issued a no-fly warning that extends for most of Friday and all day Saturday through Sunday, grounding seaplanes to East Hampton, Montauk, Martha’s Vineyard, and Nantucket.
Travel restrictions in the area are tied to Obama's plans for the rest of the weekend, which include traveling up to Newport, Rhode Island for a fundraiser to benefit House Democrats.
The travel restrictions in the area last for almost the entire weekend, beginning 9:15 p.m. Friday night and continuing through Sunday at 10:30 a.m. One business in the area says his trip is costing it thousands of dollars.
Melissa Tomkiel, president of seaplane companies, Fly the Whale (which flies from NYC to the Hamptons and Nantucket) and Tailwind (NYC to Boston and DC), told us, "A flight restriction was issued banning operations in the NYC area due to the president’s visit on Friday for practically the whole weekend, causing major business losses and inconvenience for our passengers on the busiest weekend of the year. It is frustrating. We have had to move at least 10 flights and cancel a number of private charters, costing us thousands of dollars. We count on this weekend to get us through the quieter months of the year. This will create a perfect storm on a holiday Friday, creating air space havoc between New York City and Boston."