The Seahawks are going to the Super Bowl! As you can imagine, as a former Puget Sound resident and lifelong Northwesterner, I am very excited about next Sunday’s contest in the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. It will be only the second Super Bowl appearance for the ‘Hawks in the team’s history, and from what I understand, the city of Seattle is going pretty wild in the lead-up to the game.

Friends who live and work in the city tell me every other car is flying a 12th Man flag, and business reader boards (as well as many roadside construction signs) boast messages encouraging the team and individual players to beat Denver. The fervor reaches across the state; a friend forwarded to me a picture of a veterinary clinic in Eastern Washington whose sign offered “Free Bronco castrations all week. Go Seahawks!” Even staid suit-and-tie offices are allowing employees to dress in jeans and Seahawks jerseys at work to support the home team.

I wondered what a devoted fan would have to pay to attend the big game and was unsurprised to learn that said fan would have to be both very devoted and have a healthy credit card limit. A game ticket alone (upper level, end zone/corner seat) currently runs $1,000 to $1,500. There are plenty of Manhattan-area hotel rooms available, with many of the chain hotels charging around $450 a night over Super Bowl weekend. (Many boutique hotels’ rates are $100 to $200 less per night than the “brands.”) Airline tickets are getting harder to come by, and fares are running close to double the average rate. PrimeSports offers several packages, from 3-night deals at the Sheraton Times Square, ground transportation, air fare, pre-game events, souvenirs and game tickets for $5,945 per person, double occupancy to a same-day trip (air, no hotel) for $3,795.

I’ll be content to watch from the comfort of my home with friends and family. . . . But I will admit I entered Alaska Airlines‘ 12th Fan Airlift contest. Randomly picked entrants (56 winners each win two tickets) win a flight to Newark, two nights during Super Bowl weekend in Manhattan and access to a Times Square hotel party. Tickets to the game aren’t included, and one has to be a resident of Oregon, Washington or Alaska to enter. The airline also offers a bonus to passengers departing Seattle on flights all this week: Those wearing a Russell Wilson (Seattle quarterback and Alaska spokesperson) jersey get priority boarding behind first class and frequent-flyer travelers.

Go Hawks!

— Patty Vanikiotis, associate editor/copy editor