Rain booth brings a drop of Seattle to Surf City

The weather Wednesday afternoon was sunny and about 70 degrees in Huntington Beach, with not a cloud in the sky.

Still, there was a 100% chance of rain at Pacific City.

Visit Seattle brought its traveling “rain booth” to the Huntington Beach outdoor mall, providing visitors with a fun photo opportunity and the ability to feel something all too rare in Southern California — rain.

Rain produced from recycled water fell in both the front and back of the booth, giving guests an opportunity to stand in the middle and not get wet. Still, Visit Seattle provided touches like clear umbrellas and even dog raincoats for those accompanied by a canine.

Two volunteers happily step into the rain booth during its stop at Pacific City in Huntington Beach.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

“I did get wet and it felt good,” said Nancy Aynehchi of Tustin, who visited the booth with some friends after enjoying a lunch upstairs at Pacific City. “It’s something different ... I love the rain, I love Seattle.”

The photos were displayed on a tablet at the booth, where guests could create their portrait as the cover subject of a digital magazine and have the pictures texted or emailed to themselves.

David Newman, creative director at Visit Seattle, said the tourism organization took the rain booth to Phoenix and Los Angeles last year. After its stop in Orange County on Wednesday, it was headed north to Sacramento.

“It’s really fun to watch all these people come through,” Newman said. “It seems like everyone who comes through has a Seattle story.”

Nancy Aynehchi happily steps into Seattle’s famous, traveling rain booth. It next heads to Sacramento.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)