Would you sightsee in New York City, but sleep in Jersey City?

The 35-year-old, dashing mayor of Florence, Matteo Renzi, wants to shake things up in the Renaissance city. He converted the Duomo's clogged piazza into a pedestrian-only zone, as we reported last fall, and declared it a collective goal to get Florence into the ranks of contemporary cultural capitals. In another bold move, Renzi has reopened a longstanding debate over who owns the iconic David statue—and gets to pocket its €8 million ($10 million) in annual ticket sales. The money currently goes to the Rome-based federal government. Renzi argues that Florence ought to benefit from the tourists who crowd the streets and pay up to see the masterpiece, carved by Florence native Michelangelo in 1504 as a symbol of the then city-state's resilience against its enemies. Italy's Heritage Ministry commissioned a study to decide the rightful owner and announced earlier this week that the Italian government—the Goliath in this particular battle—came out the winner. The decision was based on the fact that in 1873 the Italian government footed the bill to move the David from outside the Palazzo Vecchio (site of the mayor's office) to its current spot, sheltered within the Accademia. In an interview with newspaper La Repubblica, Renzi said: "This debate is surreal. The historic documents are very clear, and whoever challenges the ownership of the David would also have to challenge that of the Palazzo Vecchio, something no one would dream of doing. This is really a political issue about the relationship between the city and the state." Culture Minister Sandro Bondi labeled the debate as "absurd and untimely" and proposed a joint management of the David, according to the AFP. Renzi has said that he's ready and waiting to chat with Bondi. Meanwhile, defying the Italian tradition of lazy Augusts, Renzi issued an ultimatum to the Accademia and the Uffizi to clean up their graffiti-covered walls within 10 days.

I once heard a statistic that San Franciscans buy more books per capita than any other major metropolitan area in the U.S. (it was paired with a stat that said we also drink more wine than any other city, but that's a discussion for another time). Moreover, San Francisco is a hotbed of social literary events, and many literary heavy lifters—Jack Kerouac, Amy Tan, Danielle Steele, Dave Eggers—have made their home here. So it's not surprising that this city is home to an impressive number of indie bookstores. These neighborhood stores manage not just to survive but to thrive in the age of Amazon, Kindles, and iPads (not to mention a wicked recession). Four of these bookstores are worthy stops for your next visit: City Lights Considered by some to be the ground zero of the beat movement, City Lights was founded in 1953 by poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Peter D. Martin. The eponymous publishing company produced works by Jack Kerouac, Neal Cassady, Gregory Corso, Allen Ginsberg, and more. Grab a book of poetry and take it across Jack Kerouac alley to Cafe Vesuvio, a regular beat hangout back in the day, for the quintessential Beat Generation experience. 415/362-8193, 261 Columbus Ave., open daily 10 a.m.-midnight. 826 Valencia Dave Eggers, author of Zeitoun and A Heartbreaking Work of a Staggering Genius, founded 826 Valencia, a volunteer tutoring center, in 2002. The front of the store is a Pirate Supply Store that sells everything from messages in bottles ($12) and Mermaid bait or repellant ($4) to posters and publications put out by Eggers' publishing company, McSweeney's. Pick up the latest copy of the McSweeney's Quarterly Concern or a back copy of Might magazine, which Eggers founded in the early '90s. 415/642-5905,826 Valencia Street, open daily noon-6 p.m. Modern Times Down the street from 826 Valencia is Modern Times. This store stands out for its selection of books on radical lefty politics, gender and sexuality, and a number of 'zines and graphic novels. They also have a great section dedicated to Latino topics, including children's books in Spanish. While you're there, grab a "Reading is Sexy" T-shirt as a souvenir. 415/282-9246, 888 Valencia Street, Monday-Saturday 10 a.m.- 9 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Green Apple Founded in 1967, Green Apple Books has perhaps the largest selection of used books in the entire city. The 8,000-square-foot space has the worn-in feeling of a much-loved bookstore that invites you to spend hours browsing the shelves. Green Apple also hosts lots of events and author signings. 415/387-2272506, Clement Street at 6th Avenue), Sunday-Thursday 10 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Think you know San Francisco? Test yourself with our trivia quiz.

Starting this weekend, 750-plus of the world's most fearless police officers and firefighters will gather in Dublin, Ohio, a northwestern suburb of Columbus, to duke it out in the 2010 Can-Am Police-Fire Games. The international Olympics-style competition, held every two years, pits public safety personnel against one another in 58 sporting contests to promote fitness and camaraderie. This year's event, which runs August 15 to 22, will host competitors from 38 different states and provinces and nine countries. Why you should go: All the events are free and open to the public, and include the grueling, can't-take-your-eyes-away Toughest Firefighter Alive and Toughest Competitor Alive multievent contests, the amazing and widely entertaining K9 service dog competition, and the classic crowd-pleaser, tug-of-war. The Games kick off on Sunday with the Opening Ceremonies from 4:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. in Dublin's Coffman Park, complete with bagpipe music, a color guard, and welcoming remarks from Dublin's mayor. Activities include inflatables for kids, a concert by oldies band Phil Dirt and the Dozers, a K9 demonstration, and all kinds of emergency vehicles—including helicopters—on display, plus food and drink. And after the week of sporting events, closing out the final night of activities is the Badge Bash on Saturday, August 21, at 4 p.m., with food, beverages, entertainment, and raffles in Coffman Park. The event isn't free, but the $10 admission fee supports local police/fire charity Get Behind the Badge (ages 17 and under get in free). Live music includes several pipes and drum bands (make sure you're there at 8:30, when all the bands will get on stage and play together—about 50 bagpipes at once!), and then rock-and-roll cover band Tazer will take over from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. (fittingly enough, one of the raffle prizes is a civilian taser). Various Dublin hotels are offering special rates for the Can-Am Police-Fire Games. For more information about what to do in Dublin, visit the city's convention and visitors bureau website.

The High Line, built in the '30s, was a freight rail line originally designed to help deliver meat to the Meatpacking District of New York City. Since then, the High Line fell into disuse. In 1999, Joshua David and Robert Hammond formed the Friends of the High Line and worked with the City Council and Mayor Michael Bloomberg to halt the railway's demolition. Since then, the elevated train line has been turned into a beautiful public park. The first stretch opened last year and spans from Gansevoort Street to West 20th Street, or about a half-mile. Section 2, set to open in 2011, will add another mile, extending the park another 10 blocks north to 30th Street. The High Line was mobbed with crowds when it opened last year. But now it's much, much easier to find a seat on one of the benches designed to match the park's railroad theme. Drop into Chelsea Market halfway (home to dozens of top-notch bakeries, coffeeshops, and the Food Network studios). Then watch the sun set over the Hudson River. City-dwellers constantly seem to fight the nature around them. The High Line, however, serves as a haven for plants—guests are asked to "keep it wild" by keeping on the path. Be sure to keep an eye out for an interesting sculpture residing at the northern end of the nearly 1.5-mile park. If you look through it just right, you'll see (or not see) sections of the buildings behind it. In fact, it's an abstract art installation by Richard Galpin, called Viewing Station. The High Line can be reached using a number of means: By subway, you can take the L or A, C, E to West 14th Street and 8th Avenue, and walk two blocks west. If you're closer to a 7th Avenue 1, 2, 3 train, take it to West 14th and 7th Ave., and just walk an extra block over. (The 1 train also stops at 18th and 23rd Sts., if you want to enter the park from either of those cross streets.) Plan your trip at thehighline.org. —Max Behrman