SAN FRANCISCO — Now it’s starting, ever so slowly,to feel like there’s a Super Bowl being played in the Bay Area this weekend.

The lines were a lot longer on Friday for the NFL Fan Experience at the Moscone Center. There was a block party in San Jose.

Post Malone was having a concert in San Francisco. Private jets were lined up at San Francisco International as the VIPs for Sunday’s Super Bowl LX between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks have arrived.

But hardly anyone made the journey that Patriot fan Toby Diamond, who was in San Francisco for the last week with his son, did. He comes from the Land Down Under, Australia, and has been a Patriots fan for the last 25 years. How come?

“Probably Tom Brady,” he said.

Despite all that time of fandom, he’d never been to a Super Bowl until now. “Brady didn’t make it, of course, but yeah, yeah. First time Super Bowl.

“We’ve been here for about a week. Got good seats, paid good money, why not.”

Sure, right? What’s a 7,500 miles between a fan and his team?

Seattle fans, of course, are a little closer, some 800 miles or so. They certainly had the edge on the few and far between Patriot fans, shouting it out with rival Niner fans.

But the Seahawks fandom can be very analytical. For example, see the thoughts of Karl from the Seattle area.

“Low scoring, I think 24-6 (Seattle), that’s where I am on it,” he said, though saying not confident enough to wager. Is he confident in Sam Darnold?

“I personally feel like when he makes a mistake he continues to make mistakes,” he said. “So as long as he stays good. Seems every time he throws a pick he has three, four picks. He fumbles the ball and it gets in his own head and he starts making mistakes. I tell you what, if he throws an interception, he just needs to hand the ball off fiver or six downs in a row, just to make sure he gets it out of his system.”

More analysis, this time from Seattle’s Will.

“I think it’s going to be a tight game, a couple of great defenses, and quarterbacks that know how to make plays. I strongly that in a tight game, Seattle’s special teams and ability to make unexpected plays win out.”

The Patriot fans we were able to find – the feeling is most are staying around Santa Clara. But the Bay Area does have a few with New England ties.

For example, there’s Greg Porter, originally from West Roxbury, Mass. but now lives just outside of San Francisco.

“It’s pretty hard to beat this in February,” he said as the warm sun beamed down as temps were around 65-70. But he knows that the area is different than many in the country, which is why the Super Bowl excitement wasn’t gripping.

“The Bay Area, it might as well be a different country, if you go over the (Golden Gate) Bridge it’ll feel like a different country,” said. “It’s very spread out. Spread out is the name of the game around here.”

Porter, though, is thrilled the Patriots are here.

“Shocked, excited and it’s all icing on the cake,” he said. “Hopefully they win, but completely unexpected.”

Fans line up Friday afternoon to get into the NFL Fan Experience at the Mocone Center in San Francisco. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

Kelli Formosa was sporting a Patriots jersey, and she’s from Palo Alto. But her mom was born and raised in Pembroke, Mass. and lives in Plymouth, Mass. When she was a kid, Kelli used to go to the Cheshire Fair in SwanzeySUPE.

“I’ve been a Patriots fan for 30 years,” she said. “My Dad made me mad when I was little, and the way I knew how to make him mad was say I was going to be a Patriots fan. And I’ve been a Patriots fan since.”

From Australia to the Bay Area, it’ll be interesting to see which side’s fans outnumber the other on Sunday at Levi Stadium.

Super Bowl Fever. Catch it.

Tom King may be reached at tking@nashuatelegraph.com. Also, follow King on X (@Telegraph_TomK).