Detroit or Kansas City?

Neither city is a beach destination, but Detroit at least has water to swim in. Belle Isle has a small sandy beach in the river, and Lake St. Clair Metropark, about forty minutes away, offers a long beach with shallow, calm water that warms up nicely in high summer.

Kansas City lies more than 1,000km from any coast. Swimming there means county-park lake beaches on the edge of the metro area or a pool, which are fine for an afternoon with children and little more.

The two eat about equally well, but in very different ways. Detroit's strength is range: Coney dogs and square, crisp-edged pizza at home, then Lebanese and Yemeni bakeries in Dearborn, Mexicantown and the Polish bakeries of Hamtramck, with Eastern Market at its best on Saturdays.

Kansas City goes deep on one thing. Hickory-smoked barbecue, burnt ends and sweet, thick sauce are reason enough to visit, and the old steakhouses come from its cattle-town past. Beyond the smoke its food is more familiar, so come for barbecue and Detroit's community kitchens have more variety.

Detroit has the stronger set of sights. The Detroit Institute of Arts ranks among the country's great museums, and with the Motown Museum, the Charles H. Wright Museum and a full day at the Henry Ford and Greenfield Village there is plenty for several days. The Guardian and Fisher buildings make downtown and New Center a lesson in early 20th-century architecture.

Kansas City has a fine core of its own: the Nelson-Atkins and its Chinese collections, the National WWI Museum, and the Negro Leagues and jazz museums at 18th and Vine. The list is shorter, though, and the sights are far apart.

Detroit has the more interesting nights, because it is the city where techno began. Small serious clubs, warehouse parties and after-hours events put the music first, and the scene peaks around the electronic music festival on Memorial Day weekend.

Kansas City is more about bars than dancing: the sports screens of the Power and Light District, the student bars of Westport, and quieter craft beer and cocktails in the Crossroads. It makes a friendly, easy night out. In both cities you will need a taxi between areas.

Detroit's outdoors are about water, which gives it the edge. Belle Isle, partly designed by Olmsted, has woods, a lagoon and views across to Windsor, the RiverWalk is an easy ride along the river, and you can kayak and sail on Lake St. Clair.

Kansas City is surrounded by rolling prairie and farmland, and its best green space is in town: the huge Swope Park, the rose garden at Loose Park and creekside trails. Reservoirs offer boating, but real hiking country in the Ozarks is several hours away.

Detroit has slightly better outings. Ann Arbor makes a pleasant university-town afternoon, the Toledo Museum of Art is excellent, and Windsor puts you in Canada with little more than a passport. Cedar Point's roller coasters on Lake Erie are a long but possible day.

Kansas City's options are quieter half days: Truman's home and library in Independence, the main street of Lawrence, antebellum Weston and the Pony Express museum in St Joseph. Around both cities you need a car.

Kansas City makes life with children simpler. Worlds of Fun and its water park, Science City at Union Station, and the aquarium, Legoland centre and free play space at Crown Center are all made for families, and wide roads, easy parking and summer fountains make the days smooth.

Detroit has good things too, especially the large zoo with its polar bear tunnel and the steam trains of Greenfield Village, but they are scattered and downtown is quiet outside event days. Its long winter also cuts down the outdoor options.

Getting around is equally limited in both, and in both you will usually end up with a car or ride-hailing. Detroit's centre works on foot, with the People Mover looping downtown and the QLine running up Woodward to the museums of Midtown and New Center, but Dearborn and the zoo are a drive away.

Kansas City's streetcar along Main Street covers the River Market, downtown, Union Station and Crown Center, so staying near it allows a day or two without a car. Beyond that, its fast highways and easy parking make driving painless.

Shopping is modest in both, but Kansas City has one proper place for it. The Country Club Plaza, with its 1920s Spanish-style towers and courtyards, fills an afternoon with chain and upmarket stores, and the Crossroads and 39th Street add galleries, vinyl and thrift.

Detroit has no central shopping street, and big brands mean a drive to a suburban mall. Its better buys are local: Detroit-made watches, leather and print from the boutiques of Midtown and Corktown, plus crafts at Eastern Market.

Detroit is the cheaper stay. Hotel rooms cost noticeably less than in most large American cities, and its everyday food, from Coney dogs to Dearborn's grills, gives a lot for little, though rooms near the stadiums go up on game nights.

Kansas City costs about what an ordinary American city does. The free general entry at the Nelson-Atkins helps, but tickets for the theme park, zoo and ball games add up for a family. In both, a hire car, sales tax and tips push up the final bill.

Both are serious music cities, with a different sound in each. Detroit gives you range: the symphony in the much-admired Orchestra Hall, opera downtown, big shows at the Fox Theatre, and Motown, soul, rock and gospel in small rooms, with the free jazz festival filling the streets over Labor Day weekend.

Kansas City is the home of hard-swinging, blues-based jazz, the music of Count Basie and Charlie Parker, and late jam sessions around 18th and Vine are a reason to stay up. The Kauffman Center houses its symphony, opera and ballet, and its repertory theatre gives it more serious drama than Detroit.

Neither city is built for rest, and in both you are left with hotel spas and suburban day spas. Detroit's quiet hours come from the RiverWalk and Belle Isle. Kansas City has the slower pace overall, and the old mineral-water resort of Excelsior Springs, forty minutes north, is the closest either city gets to a spa tradition.