The Giants took home the World Series trophy this year. Now they're taking it on a little vacation.

The team and its trophy will embark on a multi-city tour of Northern California, southern Oregon and western Nevada starting Jan. 4. Before it's all said and done, Giants representatives will truck the trophy from the West Coast to New York state, where it will visit the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown and stop in New York City so that onetime New York Giants fans will have a chance to see it.

"It's a magnet," Giants Managing General Partner Bill Neukom said of the trophy. "We are elated, proud and humbled. And we're very, very appreciative."

"We want to thank our fans by extending the world champions' celebration throughout Giants country."

Fans will get their first chance to see the World Champions' trophy at City Hall today, when Neukom, Mayor Gavin Newsom and Giants President Larry Baer will announce details of the tour. A news conference is scheduled for 11:30 a.m., followed by a public viewing of the trophy in City Hall's South Light Court from 1 to 3 p.m.

At each subsequent stop, fans will be able to view the trophy during specified times on a first-come, first-served basis. They'll also be able to get a picture taken with the team's prize, although it's still unclear whether the photos will be done strictly by a professional and sold for a fee, or whether there will be time for fans to shoot their own pictures.

Giants officials say they are looking into all the possibilities and will inform fans prior to the various appearances. One thing is clear though: Fans will not be able to touch the trophy.

The tour, co-sponsored by Visa, will begin at San Francisco's City Hall on Tuesday, Jan. 4 and will move to Sacramento on Thursday, Jan. 6. It'll then visit nine different regions, including the Central Valley, southern Oregon, the Sierra Nevada and the Central Coast.

The team plans to bring the trophy back to San Francisco for a tour of various neighborhoods before making its way to the home opener at AT&T Park on April 8.

Wilson and Braden: A's starter Dallas Braden returned from a trip to Thailand with Giants closer Brian Wilson on Monday. The two are frequent travel companions, but now that Wilson is a world champion, the dynamic has changed - he's getting recognized.

"Absolutely, everywhere we went," Braden said Tuesday. "... Brian was loving every minute of it. It was awesome.

"I don't know if the Giants know it, but he's the best ambassador for their team. He never turned anyone away, he posed for photos with everyone. They'd say, 'Are you the guy with the beard from the Giants?' and he soaked it up. He showed the love."

By the end of the trip, though, the beard started to lose its distinctive black color. "I said, 'Dude, you must have forgot the Just For Men,' because you could see some red shining through," Braden said.

Both men have increased visibility after the 2010 season, Braden for his perfect game on Mother's Day, and they didn't mind the perks, especially when they encountered long lines.

"It was real good," Braden said. "We'd be standing there waiting and then go, 'Hey, Wilson's a World Series champion and I threw a perfect game.' We're going right through the next second."

- Susan Slusser