How to Watch -- Or Avoid -- The Giants SF Parade

Update 6:25 a.m. Wednesday: Bay Area Giants fans already are beginning to travel into the city and stake out spots on Market Street for the parade. Get photos and updates on the traffic here.

You'll either want to be as close as possible, or far, far away when the San Francisco Giants parade down Market Street starting at 11. a.m. on Wednesday.

The Giants are getting a hero's welcome after defeating the Detroit Tigers with a four-game sweep in baseball's World Series.

Based on past experience, you can expect a euphoric, raucous crowd and really bad traffic. When the Giants celebrated their 2010 World Series triumph with a similar parade, about a million people lined the parade route, with some camping out the night before according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

And the rowdier elements among the fans showed a penchant for violence on Sunday night when they overturned cars and set fires following the victory. Police made 36 arrests, including 23 felonies, Gordon. L. Shyy, a spokesperson for the department, told KQED's Aarti Shahani.

The San Francisco police have canceled discretionary leave for its officers, and the department is confident of controlling the crowd, Shyy said.

The parade will begin on Market Street at Steuart Street and will head westbound on Market Street, before continuing on McAllister Street to the Civic Center Plaza. The ceremony in front of City Hall will begin around 12:30 p.m. Traffic will be completely blocked along the route, according to the Chronicle.

BART, which set a record for ridership on the day of the parade in 2010,  is planning to run trains at maximum frequency and capacity throughout the day. If you're planning to go into San Francisco on that day, the agency offered these tips to make the trip as smooth as possible:

• Load up your Clipper card with extra value or, if buying a BART ticket, purchase a round trip ticket before parade day. A $20 ticket will get you to and from downtown SF from anywhere.
• Avoid peak commute hours (6AM-9AM and 4PM-6PM).
• Allow extra time to get to San Francisco before the parade begins at 11AM.
• Parking rules and restrictions will be enforced. Consider getting to the station without the need to park as parking lots will fill up very early.
• Plan your trip by using the BART QuickPlanner at www.bart.gov

San Francisco Bay Ferry is providing additional service from Vallejo, Alameda and Oakland on Wednesday,  spokesman Earnest Sanchez told Shahani.

Still not sure which Giant is Buster Posey and which is Brandon Belt? Here's a look at some of the players who were on the field during the World Series, with links to their profiles on ESPN.com: