At least that's the consensus of Travel + Leisure magazine's readers, who were asked to rank major U.S. metropolitan areas on their uppity attitudes.

San Francisco was voted the U.S. city that holds its nose highest into the sky, followed by New York City, Boston and Minneapolis-St. Paul. Santa Fe and Seattle were tied for fifth.

T+L says readers were asked to consider various factors, such as the city's reputation for snooty citizens, puffed-up culture and classical entertainment venues. The magazine cites San Francisco's reputation for its vast array of high-priced restaurants adds to the bragging effect.

Opinion of travel4seniors.com: We ask: What about other West Coast ego-driven towns, such as Beverly Hills, Hollywood, La Jolla and Malibu? San Francisco is one of the most delightfully beautiful, delicious and friendly cities in the world! If snobby, it has every doggone right to be!

Parque Safari in the central Chile city has a fantastically original concept of how zoos can be more interesting. Visitors are driven through the African lion area in a safely caged-in topless bus.

The lions, attracted by bits of beef on top of the cage, roam freely all over the outside of the vehicle. They can peer for face-to-face close-ups through the metal mesh for portraits with and by the fascinated humans. The lions are willing to accept safe and friendly finger pats on their bellies. Senior photo and video addicts can have muy divertido shooting selfies with the king of beasts.

Parque Safari is about an hour’s drive south of Chile’s capital of Santiago. December daytime temperatures in the mid-70s. Entry fees are from about $10 for the safari and other features of the zoo. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

When visiting Sin City this season or at any other time of year, you may lose your lifetime savings gambling. You may also attend sinfully expensive stage performances that show lots of skin while your bank account is being skinned.

You can over-stuff in overloaded buffets that will bust your money belt and heart valves. In addition to all that excess, you should also plan some happy moments to enjoy some of the city’s absolutely free things. Consider these:

1. Gold & Silver Pawn Shop: If you’re a fan of the TV show, you can go to 713 S. Las Vegas Blvd. and maybe watch an episode being filmed. Wandering around thru the expansive store can be an interesting time among the vintage items on display. If you bring a valuable hunk of vintage junk along, you may even get to star in one of the episodes. gspawn.com

2. Fremont Street Downtown Experience: Every night, high above the town’s historic main street, there’s an enormous overhead video projection, featuring lights, images and ear-bursting music. If you’re lucky to be there on a live concert night, you can enjoy it for free, too. vegasexperience.com

Q: Now retired and empty nesters, we’ve planned for years to make a holiday pilgrimage to Jerusalem. However, because of the recent troubles in Gaza and the West Bank, is it be safe to travel there in this holiday season? PMC, Baltimore MD

A: Jerusalem did not suffer missile nor other damage, but the recent unrest caused cancellations and other economic problems in the Israeli tourist industry. Hopefully, as of this writing, it could be a peaceful holiday season for visitors of all faiths this year.

Continue to make plans while keeping a day-by-day awareness of the news concerning tourist safety in Jerusalem. Keep up-to-date on current info with your travel agent and U.S. State Department updates at travel.state.gov