For this week’s Sites and Bites I’ve partnered with Blue Diamond Almonds, and in the spirit of their Get Out and Grow campaign I decided to try a completely brand new food to me! There is so much amazing food in San Francisco, and surprisingly a lot I still had not tried. I had heard a lot about pho, which is a popular Vietnamese noodle soup, and did some research to find that one of the highest rates pho spots, Kevin’s Noodle House, was right in my neighborhood (not entirely shocking, my neighborhood does have its fair share of asian food).

Photography by Eva Kolenko, see more in the Sites and Bites series here

It was a really yucky rainy day and a perfect time for something warm and soothing for lunch. Eva, my Sites and Bites photographer who came with me, had tried pho before which was a little more comforting to have someone else help me order from a kind of intimidating menu. There were two whole pages full of pho options. It was a little overwhelming to choose but she suggested I try just a plain beef or chicken. I went with the chicken.

There were all sorts of fresh fixings to put on top when our pho arrived like sprouts, basil and lime. I piled it on and dove in…verdict: completely delicious and not too foreign to me. Like a really fancy version of chicken noodle soup! I want to go back and try the beef and the eggs rolls we ordered for an appetizer were delicious as well.

Keep reading to see the site we visited after the warm bowl of pho…

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This post is sponsored by Blue Diamond Almonds. Spring marks the start of the Blue Diamond Almonds growing season. Get Out and Grow and experience something good this spring! Head over to the Blue Diamond Almonds Facebook Page and tell them how you would use $1,000 to enjoy the good life this spring for a chance to win.

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For the site we headed just across the way to the De Young museum’s observatory tower in Golden Gate Park. This spot it a popular one for us because we live just a couple minute walk from it. It’s an amazing museum but the observatory is also a wonderful place to get a view of the whole city. Plus if you don’t have time to see the museum that day, you can just head up to the tower without paying an admission fee.

The whole floor is this really beautiful modern design with glass all the way around so you can see every angle of the city. Even though it was rainy and foggy, it was still a beautiful sight up there.

There’s a huge awesome map of the city on one wall that I love to stare out and try to locate points of interest. Below I’m pointing out where our home is on the map.

It’s a quick walk from Kevin’s Noodle house to the De Young, probably less than 10 minutes. We actually drove because of the rain but here is a map below of where you can find these two walkable spots in San Francisco: