SAN FRANCISCO — Every champion this city ever loved went up Market Street. The Warriors did it. The Giants did it three times. The 49ers did it in the ’80s and ’90s. The USF Dons did it in 1955.
The Valkyries are coming by boat.
The first WNBA champions in Bay Area history will celebrate Wednesday with a parade along the Embarcadero, from the Ferry Building to Second and King streets near Oracle Park. It runs from noon to 2 p.m., a little more than a mile on the water instead of downtown.
Why not Market Street
Because the team didn’t want it.
Team president Jess Smith said the Valkyries never started with the route. They started with the question. “We looked at ourselves and thought about, well, what’s our story and how do we want to celebrate this?” she said, according to Yahoo Sports.
Asked whether Market Street was ever on the table, she said no.
The story they landed on is the one the players live every day. The team practices in Oakland and plays at Chase Center in Mission Bay. So Wednesday starts in Oakland, crosses the bay by boat, lands at the Ferry Building and rolls south toward the ballpark. It’s the commute, with confetti. Smith said the boat and the Ferry Building arrival “just feels right to us.” Planning started in August, before the playoffs.
Mayor Daniel Lurie said the call was the team’s. “This team came to us, and said that they wanted to do something different with the parade,” he told 95.7 The Game. “It’s going to be epic.”
And Oakland?
The day begins at the team’s Oakland practice facility. That part is private. No public celebration in Oakland has been announced.
Oakland has watched the Warriors, the Raiders and the A’s leave. The Valkyries still call it home during the week. Whether Oakland fans get a day of their own, the team hasn’t said.
If you’re going
- When: Wednesday, Nov. 4. The parade runs noon to 2 p.m. Fans can start lining up at 9 a.m. on the bay side of the Embarcadero.
- Where: The Embarcadero, from the Ferry Building to Second and King streets.
- Getting there: BART to Embarcadero or Montgomery Street. Caltrain to Fourth and King. Muni Metro to Embarcadero, or the T Third. AC Transit Transbay buses go to the Salesforce Transit Center.
- Muni changes: From 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., the N Judah ends at Embarcadero Station. Buses replace the F line all day. The 2, 9, 9R, 12, 14, 14R and 15 Bayview Hunters Point Express will detour. Check sfmta.com before you leave.
- Streets: Parts of the Embarcadero, King, Market, Steuart and Spear close starting just after midnight. More cross streets close at 8 a.m. Most reopen by 4 p.m.
- Can’t make it: NBC Bay Area carries it live on TV and streaming, starting at 9:30 a.m.
- Weather: Clearing after Tuesday’s rain, breezy, high near 65.
What they’re celebrating
The Valkyries beat the Atlanta Dream 68-63 in Game 7 on Halloween night at Chase Center, a title in only their second season. They were down six at the half. Gabby Williams scored 30. They sold out all 22 home games before anyone knew how it would end.
The route is different. The crowd shouldn’t be. This city filled that building every night. Wednesday it gets to fill the waterfront.
Photo: The Ferry Building. JaGa / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. This report draws on Yahoo Sports, SFMTA and NBC Bay Area.
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