Detroit or Lake Placid?

Neither place is a beach destination, and both swim in fresh water for a few summer weeks. Lake Placid does it a little better, because the water is part of daily life: Mirror Lake has a lifeguarded strip right in the village, and the Saranac chain, nearby ponds and the rocky pools on the West Branch of the Ausable fit easily into a day of hiking or paddling.

Detroit's swimming takes more effort. Belle Isle has a small sandy beach, and the longer, calmer shore at Lake St. Clair Metropark is about forty minutes' drive away, where lake beaches sometimes close for a day after heavy rain.

Detroit gives you a food trip of its own, Lake Placid gives you fuel after a hike. Detroit has dishes you won't find elsewhere, the chilli-covered Coney dog and crisp-edged square pizza, plus Saturday crowds at Eastern Market and the Arab American bakeries and grills of Dearborn, with Mexicantown and Hamtramck's Polish bakeries adding more.

Lake Placid's Main Street runs to diners, burgers, pizza and brewpubs, with a few lodge dining rooms looking over the water. Maple syrup and local beer are about as regional as it gets, and some kitchens scale back outside the busy seasons.

Detroit has far more to see. The Detroit Institute of Arts alone, with Diego Rivera's Detroit Industry murals, is worth a day, and the Charles H. Wright Museum, the Motown Museum, the Henry Ford Museum with Greenfield Village and the Art Deco interiors of the Guardian and Fisher Buildings give you several more.

Lake Placid's heritage is sporting: the rink of the 1980 'Miracle on Ice', a small Olympic museum, the ski jumps and John Brown's Farm. These are worth a day, but there is little art or historic architecture beyond them.

Detroit is the birthplace of techno, and its warehouse parties, small serious clubs and after-hours events give it a real night scene. Around them sit cocktail bars in Corktown and Midtown, brewery taprooms and casino bars, though you will be taking taxis between them and weeknights are quiet.

Lake Placid has no clubs at all. A handful of Main Street pubs and lakeside hotel bars fill up after a ski day, and the village is mostly asleep by midnight.

This is Lake Placid's great strength. The village sits at the foot of the Adirondack High Peaks, with Mount Marcy, 1,629m, and shorter half-day climbs like Cascade and Mount Jo close by. Add Whiteface for the biggest ski vertical in the eastern United States, canoe routes through the Saranac Lakes and St. Regis area, fly fishing on the Ausable and climbing at Chapel Pond.

Detroit's outdoors are gentle and flat: Olmsted's Belle Isle, the RiverWalk, kayaking on the river and wooded metroparks with good birdwatching. There are no hills within easy reach.

Detroit has slightly more variety within a day's drive: leafy Ann Arbor, the excellent Toledo art museum, Bavarian-themed Frankenmuth, Canada just across the river at Windsor, and the roller coasters of Cedar Point at the far edge.

From Lake Placid, most outings lead back into the wilderness. Saranac Lake, Keene and the Wild Center in Tupper Lake are close, while Fort Ticonderoga, Burlington and Montreal are longer drives. Both places require a car for nearly every trip.

Both work well for children, but in different ways. Detroit offers classic city attractions: the large Detroit Zoo with its polar bear tunnel, the hands-on Michigan Science Center and the steam trains of Greenfield Village, all spread out and reached by car, and winter narrows the choice.

Lake Placid is a small, safe village where the fun is active: public skating on the Olympic rinks, bobsled rides, the toboggan chute onto the frozen lake and ski school on Whiteface, with Santa's Workshop nearby. Here winter is the high point rather than the low one.

Both have a walkable core and a car-dependent outer area. In Detroit, the People Mover and the QLine streetcar connect downtown, the stadiums and the Midtown museums, but Dearborn, the zoo and the suburbs need a car or ride-hailing.

Lake Placid's centre is just Main Street and Mirror Lake, easily covered on foot. Everything else, trailheads, Whiteface and nearby towns, is along winding mountain roads that need winter driving skills for much of the year.

Detroit has more to browse, though it is still modest. Midtown and Corktown have independent boutiques, vintage shops and Detroit-made watches and leather goods, Eastern Market sells local crafts, and a large upscale mall in the northern suburbs handles the big brands.

Lake Placid's one Main Street is about outdoor gear, fly-fishing and ski shops, galleries and Adirondack souvenirs such as balsam pillows and maple products. It's handy if you forgot your hiking boots, but there's little fashion.

Detroit is the cheaper of the two. Its hotels cost less than in most large American cities except on game and concert nights, and Coney dogs, pizza and Middle Eastern meals are inexpensive, though a hire car, parking and tips add up.

Lake Placid charges resort prices in winter, summer and the foliage weeks, with lift tickets, guides and gear rental on top. Older motels, cabins and the quiet spring and late-autumn weeks bring the cost down, and hiking and paddling are free.

Detroit is a serious music city, and Lake Placid is not. Detroit has the Detroit Symphony Orchestra in Orchestra Hall, opera downtown, touring shows at the Fox and Fisher theatres, long-established jazz clubs, the free Detroit Jazz Festival over Labor Day weekend and live soul, rock and gospel most nights.

Lake Placid's main event is the summer season of the Lake Placid Sinfonietta, including free concerts at the Mirror Lake bandshell, with occasional shows at the village arts centre and little for the rest of the year.

Lake Placid is much the more restful of the two. Its lodges have full-service spas, saunas and hot tubs for after a cold day, and the real calm comes from porches over still water, fireplaces in winter and the quiet walk around Mirror Lake.

Detroit runs on work, sport and music. Apart from a hotel spa or a suburban day spa, the most peaceful hours are an afternoon on Belle Isle or a slow walk along the RiverWalk.