Loop ambassadors work to make State Street welcoming for the holidays – Chicago Tribune

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Good morning, Chicago.

Shoppers and tourists were bustling down State Street this week when a woman looking down at her phone stepped into a crosswalk. At the same time, a scooter rider with no intention of yielding barreled toward her.

Alfonso Redditt, an ambassador with the Chicago Loop Alliance, reached out his arm and called out a warning to the woman, who immediately took a step back, averting a collision.

As Loop foot traffic along State Street swells during the all-important shopping season between Black Friday and Christmas, alliance ambassadors will be on hand every day from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., performing all sorts of small — sometimes thankless — tasks to improve the experience of pedestrians.

“I love coming to work … making it safe and clean out here,” said Redditt, a 57-year-old who supervised the first shift of ambassadors on Tuesday.

Ambassadors, who wear neon green jackets that indicate they are there to help, patrol the busy stretch of State Street between Wacker and Ida B. Wells drives which features the Chicago Theatre, Macy’s and other iconic attractions.

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