Over 100,000 Expected For Giants Victory Parade Wednesday
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- At least 100,000 people were expected to turn out for the city of San Francisco's parade and civic celebration Wednesday for the 2010 World Champion San Francisco Giants.
The buzz about the city on Tuesday was that thousands of people planned to take time off work or let their kids play hooky from school to see the historic celebration.
It was scheduled to take place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday and would be broadcast live on KPIX-TV CBS 5, KCBS-AM 740 & FM 106.9, and streamed live here at CBSSanFrancisco.com.
Confetti, appreciation and admiration were expected to rain down on the team during the ticker tape parade, which was set to follow the route taken by the Giants when the team first came to San Francisco from New York in 1958: from downtown's financial district to the Civic
Center.
It was scheduled to end at the steps of City Hall, where Mayor Gavin Newsom was to present the team with the symbolic "key to the city" and hold a civic celebration.
"San Francisco could not be prouder of its hometown Giants," Newsom said. "Congratulations to every player on the roster and to the entire San Francisco Giants organization."
Dozens of die-hard fans were already pressed up against the police barricades across the street from City Hall to claim a spot front and center for Wednesday's celebrations.
Some fans said that they arrived at Civic Center at 10:30 p.m. and were ready to spend the night under the stars in the name of the team.
Giants slugger Aubrey Huff offered a tongue-in-cheek warning to parade-goers, saying he was considering a grand unveiling for his lucky red thong at the parade.
"I'm probably going to wear it all by itself in the parade," Huff said. "I better get a spray tan, huh?"
Newsom said the team had brought the entire city together throughout the season.
"We cannot wait to celebrate your triumph in Texas," Newsom said to the Giants organization.
The Giants beat the Texas Rangers 3-1 Monday night to win the World Series 4 games to 1.
The parade was scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. on Montgomery Street at Washington Street, the mayor's office said. It would head south on Montgomery Street to Market Street, where it would then go west to McAllister Street and end at City Hall.
The public was invited to line the sidewalks along the parade route or gather in Civic Center Plaza for the celebration. Attendees were advised to arrive early and take public transportation.
Bay Area Rapid Transit said it planned on operating longer trains and additional trains to accomodate the anticipated large crowd.
"All of us join the Bay Area in congratulating the Giants. We are ready to carry thousands of happy fans to and from the parade to see their favorite players," said James Fang, BART Board President.
Depending on where fans want to position themselves along the parade route, any of the downtown San Francisco BART stations could provide easy access, officials advised.
Embarcadero or Montgomery Street stations are closest to the start of the parade; Powell Street Station is in the middle and Civic Center/UN Plaza Station is at the end of the parade route.
Extra Muni Metro trains were also being provided for the event, San
Francisco Municipal Railway spokesman Paul Rose said.
Six trains would be added to mitigate the effects of rerouted buses. The special service was to begin at 10 a.m. and continue for the duration of the parade, Rose said.
Golden Gate Ferry planned to use extra ferries capable of carrying 715 passengers to shuttle fans from Marin County into the city. The two extra morning departures from Larkspur for the celebration would be at 7:30 and 9:45 a.m.
Police advised that no traffic or cross traffic would be permitted along the parade route on Market Street between First and 10th streets after 10:45 a.m.
In addition, the Civic Center parking garage was to be closed to general parking beginning at 6 a.m. until the end of the parade, officials said.
SFPD said it would be out in full force for Wednesday's celebration to ensure there was no chaos. Rowdy celebrations after the Giants victory Monday night resulted in six arrests, SFPD Lt. Lyn Tomioka said.
"Daytime and nighttime are two completely different things," Tomioka said. "It's very easy to be involved in criminal activity in the dark."
The SFPD planned to call in mutual aid from police agencies in Berkeley, Oakland and San Mateo to ensure that things go smoothly.
(Copyright 2010 by CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press & Bay City News contributed to this report.)
