When you want a stunning view encompassing both the downtown skyline and the Puget Sound, where do you go? Alki Beach, Queen Anne’s Highland Drive, and…31st Ave. S. in Mount Baker. Not many people know about the latter, the exception being patrons of That’s Amore Italian Café, who have long been rewarded for their trek to this sleepy, ridge-top business district with a sunset view that’s been largely hidden from the street. Until now. A community led project opened up the space down the street from the café and turned it into Mt. Baker Ridge Viewpoint Park. Finished a few months ago, it’s a serene little spot, with a steel-mesh deck inviting visitors to gaze at the newly landscaped ridge below, the neighborhoods which stretch beyond and Seattle’s famous vista beyond that. NINA SHAPIRO

Wed., Sept. 16, 6 a.m.-11 p.m., 2009