Lake Placid or Philadelphia?

Neither city is a beach destination, and both offer swimming only from late June to the end of August. The difference is what kind of water you get. In Lake Placid you swim in fresh water right on the doorstep: the small beach on Mirror Lake, the many nearby ponds and rocky holes in the Ausable. Philadelphia has no swimming in the city. Instead, it has the wide Atlantic sands of the Jersey Shore, which means a drive of over an hour, often in weekend traffic, for a proper day at the sea.

Philadelphia is much better for food. It has dishes that belong to it, like the cheesesteak, the roast pork sandwich with broccoli rabe and water ice, plus two great markets in Reading Terminal and the Italian Market. Beyond that, there are small bring-your-own-wine dining rooms and good Vietnamese and Mexican cooking in East Passyunk and Fishtown.

Lake Placid feeds hungry hikers and skiers well enough, with diners, brewpubs and a few lodge dining rooms looking over the water. But it has no local cuisine to speak of beyond maple syrup and craft beer.

Philadelphia is in another league here. Independence Hall, the Georgian streets of Society Hill and Elfreth's Alley tell the story of the nation's founding. The Barnes Foundation, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Penn Museum and Eastern State Penitentiary add several more days of sightseeing.

Lake Placid's heritage is sporting rather than artistic. You can see the 1980 'Miracle on Ice' rink, the ski jumps above town and John Brown's Farm, and all of that fits comfortably into one day.

Philadelphia has a real night out, even if it's a city of bars rather than clubs. There are warehouse bars and beer halls in Fishtown and Northern Liberties, cocktails around Rittenhouse Square, and the long-established Gayborhood. Lake Placid has a handful of pubs and hotel bars on Main Street that get busy after a ski day. Most people there are in bed early so they can be on the trail or the slopes in the morning.

This is Lake Placid's strength. It sits on the edge of the Adirondack High Peaks, so Mount Marcy, Cascade and dozens of other summits are close by. Add the canoe country of the Saranac lakes, fly fishing on the Ausable and the biggest ski vertical in the eastern United States at Whiteface.

Philadelphia does well for a city. The Wissahickon gorge and the Schuylkill River Trail give you real woodland walks and long rides out towards Valley Forge. But the country around it, from the Pine Barrens to the Brandywine, is gentle and green rather than wild.

From Lake Placid, most outings lead deeper into the woods rather than to other towns. Close by are the old cure village of Saranac Lake, the Wild Center at Tupper Lake and the arts town of Keene. The bigger trips are Fort Ticonderoga on Lake Champlain, Burlington across the water in Vermont and Montreal over the border. Each takes about an hour and a half to two hours or more, and you need a car for all of them.

Philadelphia's place on the Northeast rail corridor gives it a much longer list. Fast trains make New York, Baltimore and Washington easy full days out, and Lancaster County's Amish farm country and Princeton are also about an hour away. Gettysburg, the Brandywine Valley gardens and Cape May are best reached by car.

Both work with children, and Philadelphia has the edge because of how much it offers indoors. There's the Franklin Institute's giant heart, the Please Touch Museum for under-eights, dinosaurs at the Academy of Natural Sciences and the country's oldest zoo. It all works in any weather.

Lake Placid suits active families better. Children can skate on the Olympic rinks, ride a bobsled at Mount Van Hoevenberg, take the toboggan chute onto the frozen lake and visit Santa's Workshop. The trade-off is long drives and cold winters.

Philadelphia is easier without a car. Penn's flat grid puts Old City, Rittenhouse Square and the Parkway museums within walking distance, and SEPTA's subway, trolleys and airport train cover the rest. Lake Placid's village is just as walkable, but it's tiny. The trailheads, lakes and Whiteface are spread across the mountains, buses are scarce, and you'll be driving winding roads, often in winter conditions.

Philadelphia offers far more. There's Walnut Street around Rittenhouse, independent shops in Old City and Fishtown, Jewelers' Row and the two food markets. The huge King of Prussia mall is half an hour away, and clothing is free of sales tax. Lake Placid's shopping is one stretch of Main Street. It's good for outdoor gear, fly-fishing tackle, maple products and Adirondack décor, but that's about all.

Neither is cheap, but Philadelphia is the easier place to keep costs down. The Independence Park sights are free, a hoagie makes lunch, and bringing your own wine cuts the cost of dinner. On top of that, you don't need a car.

In Lake Placid, resort pricing in the busy seasons, lift tickets, guides and a rental car all add up. Your best savings come from the quiet spring and late-autumn weeks, cabins you cook in, and the free hiking and swimming.

Philadelphia is a serious music city. There's the Philadelphia Orchestra on the Avenue of the Arts, opera and ballet at the 1857 Academy of Music, and recitals by students of the Curtis Institute. It also has the country's oldest working theatre, along with jazz clubs and indie venues in Fishtown.

Lake Placid has a summer season from the Sinfonietta, including free concerts at the bandshell by Mirror Lake, plus occasional events at the arts centre. For most of the year there's little on.

Lake Placid is the more restful choice. It's a quiet village, with a slow walk around Mirror Lake, lodge porches over still water and fires in winter, plus spas in the larger lodges for after a cold day out. Philadelphia moves quickly and a little gruffly. Its calm comes in pockets: a bench in one of Penn's squares, a walk in the Wissahickon, or a drive out to a Korean-style bathhouse in the suburbs.