I know that it's early, but I'm looking to plan a long weekend in the Seattle area for the spring (April/May). My plan is to fly in late on Wednesday night and fly out some time on Monday - does that realistically give me enough time to see both Seattle and Orcas Island? Any suggestions for itineraries?

You can see quite a bit in four days. .

Here is a list of some of Seattle's attractions: http://www.frommers.com/destinations...2_indattr.html

The most popular side trips from Seattle are Mt. Rainier, the Olympic National Park, and the San Juan Islands.

Mt. Rainier can be visited as a day trip from Seattle, but there is likely to be a lot of snow up there at the time of your visit.

My personal preference in the San Juans is San Juan Island which has a delightful town (Friday Harbor), a beautiful resort (Roche Harbor), great whale watching, good restaurants, other attractions, and public transportation.

HTTY

Our favorite is Whidbey Island, it's closer than the San Juans, you can drive onto the island at the north end and ferry back to the mainland, or Olympic Peninsula at the other. You won't find the resorts of the San Juans, but other than the Navy town of Oak Harbor it's a low key place with decent restaurants, historic spots and great views of Puget Sound.

I'm also a fan of Whidbey Island. I like the Captain Whidbey Inn for an overnight stay from Seattle.

San Juans are of course beautiful to, but take a bit more effort to get to.

Sure I think that is enough time for a taste of two places, maybe go first out to the islands (on weekdays) then back into the city (for the weekend).

My hotel picks are Mayflower Park or the Warwick, if you need to arrange lodging. Both are mid-priced, well-located downtown Seattle.

if you do go up to orcas (which happens to be my favorite of the san juan islands), go towards the beginning of your trip to avoid the worst days for taking the ferry--you don't want to go on a friday or come back on a sunday, and i wouldn't advise taking a ferry on the same day you're flying home. so i'd go to orcas on thursday, stay 2 nights, then spend sat and sun nights in seattle.