Baltimore or Milwaukee?

Milwaukee has the better beach, mainly because it is in the city. Bradford Beach sits below the East Side bluffs, with sand volleyball and a summer weekend crowd, and McKinley and South Shore stretch along the same lakefront. The catch is Lake Michigan itself: it is fresh water, rarely warm, and an offshore wind can chill it overnight.

Baltimore's harbour is for boats, not swimming. Sandy Point State Park, about forty minutes' drive away, has warmer water, but the bay is brackish, sea nettles drift in during summer and swimming sometimes closes after rain. The Atlantic surf is about three hours away, which makes it a separate trip.

The two are evenly matched, and each is built around one regional ritual. In Baltimore it is the blue crab, steamed and dusted with Old Bay, cracked with mallets on brown paper in summer, along with oysters at Lexington Market and red-sauce Italian cooking in Little Italy.

Milwaukee's ritual is the Friday fish fry, backed by supper clubs, frozen custard, bratwurst and cheese curds, with brewing heritage and taprooms in Walker's Point. Go to Baltimore for seafood and Milwaukee for beer and Central European comfort food.

Baltimore has the deeper set of sights. The Baltimore Museum of Art's Cone Collection of Matisse and the Walters' range from Egyptian antiquities to Fabergé are both free, and Fort McHenry and the B&O roundhouse tie the city to national history. The cobbled streets of Fells Point and the townhouses of Mount Vernon reward walking between them.

Milwaukee's best sight is the Calatrava pavilion of the art museum on the lakefront, followed by the Harley-Davidson Museum. Brewing-era landmarks such as the Pabst Mansion and the Basilica of St Josaphat make up the rest. It is a good two days, with less weight behind it.

Both cities are bar towns rather than club towns, and both close around 2am. Baltimore's nights centre on districts: the old taverns around the cobbled square in Fells Point, the sports bars and rooftops of Federal Hill, and dive bars in Station North.

Milwaukee's character is the corner tavern with a pool table and a bar full of regulars, plus the Water Street strip, Third Ward taprooms and the city's main LGBTQ bars in Walker's Point. Its summer beer gardens are a highlight, but winter nights are quiet.

Neither has dramatic scenery, and the two are close; what differs is the water. Baltimore looks to the Chesapeake, with kayaking on the harbour, sailing from Annapolis and ospreys and eagles in the marshes. Inland are the wooded gorges of Patapsco Valley and the Blue Ridge hills further west.

Milwaukee's outdoors is the open lake, Olmsted's Lake Park bluffs, long flat cycling trails and the glacial hills of Kettle Moraine about an hour out. Baltimore suits spring and autumn hikes, while Milwaukee is best from May to October.

This is where Baltimore pulls well ahead. Washington and Philadelphia are both about an hour away by train, and Annapolis, Gettysburg, Harpers Ferry and the Eastern Shore villages are within an easy drive. Few American cities have so much major history within a day's reach.

Milwaukee has one big outing, Chicago, about an hour and a half by train. After that come smaller pleasures: Madison, the mills of Cedarburg, Frank Lloyd Wright's buildings in Racine and the mansions of Lake Geneva. Beyond them the countryside is mostly farmland.

Both work well with children, in different ways. Baltimore puts nearly everything around the Inner Harbor: the National Aquarium with its rainforest and shark ring, the science centre, Port Discovery and the historic ships, all within walking distance. Beyond the harbour it is patchier, and summers are sticky.

Milwaukee is more spread out but easier going, with a large zoo, Discovery World's freshwater tanks, the Mitchell Park Domes for cold days, and the beach and festivals in summer. Its winters limit outdoor plans far more than Baltimore's do.

Both have a walkable centre and thin transit beyond it. Baltimore's waterfront links the Inner Harbor, Fells Point and Federal Hill on foot, and water taxis run between the piers. Its single metro and light rail lines are of limited use, but its intercity rail is excellent for day trips.

Milwaukee's core is the Riverwalk and the short Hop streetcar, with no metro or commuter rail. Driving and parking are easy, which makes a car more natural there than in Baltimore.

Neither is worth a trip for shopping, and they are close. Baltimore's highlight is the Avenue in Hampden, with kitsch, vintage clothing and local art, plus antiques and records in Fells Point.

Milwaukee's Third Ward warehouses hold design shops and galleries, and the Public Market makes it easy to take home cheese and sausage. In both, big brands are in the suburban malls.

Milwaukee is a little easier on the budget. Its hotels are well below coastal prices, tavern beer and fish fries are cheap, and the lakefront and many festivals cost little, though big summer weekends push rooms up.

Baltimore is good value by East Coast standards, which is why many visitors to Washington stay there, and its two main art museums are free. Meals, harbour hotels and frequent taxis still add up.

The time of year matters more here than how much is on. Baltimore's season peaks from autumn to spring, when the symphony plays at the Meyerhoff and Peabody students and faculty give concerts in Mount Vernon, many of them free. Its live music is small-venue and loud, with indie, punk and experimental bands in Station North, and there is no resident opera.

Milwaukee leans more classical, with its own opera, ballet and musical theatre companies alongside the symphony, and touring acts in the ornate 1895 Pabst Theater. Its peak comes in summer, when Summerfest fills the lakefront stages for weeks.

Neither city is a place to unwind, but Milwaukee is the calmer of the two. Its pace is easy, and walks along the lakefront and Riverwalk are restful. For a proper spa day, the resort village of Kohler is about an hour away.

Baltimore feels more urban and gritty. Beyond hotel spas, the quiet moments are a harbour walk at dawn, Druid Hill Park or the Walters galleries. Most visitors who want rest go across the Bay Bridge to the Eastern Shore.