Milwaukee or Philadelphia?

Neither city is a beach destination, and the two offer very different kinds of beach. Milwaukee's is right in town: Bradford Beach sits below the East Side bluffs, with volleyball courts and cabanas on the sand. But it faces a freshwater lake that is often too cold for more than a paddle, even in August.

Philadelphia has no beach of its own. The Jersey Shore is an hour and a quarter or more by car, and there the Atlantic is warm enough for real swimming in late summer. It does mean giving up a whole day and sitting in weekend traffic.

Both cities eat in a strong regional style, but Philadelphia has more range. Its cheesesteaks, roast pork sandwiches and hoagies come from corner delis. Reading Terminal Market and the Italian Market are big places to graze. Small bring-your-own-wine dining rooms in East Passyunk and Fishtown add Vietnamese, Mexican and modern American cooking on top.

Milwaukee's table is built on German and Polish habits: the Friday fish fry, frozen custard, cheese curds and the brandy old fashioned in a supper club. It is satisfying and distinctive, with good Mexican food on the South Side and long brewing roots, but the choice is narrower.

Philadelphia is in another league here. Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell and the Georgian streets of Society Hill are where the country was founded. The Barnes Foundation, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Penn Museum and Eastern State Penitentiary easily fill four or five days.

Milwaukee has one memorable building in Calatrava's winged art museum on the lakefront, and the Harley-Davidson Museum is a real draw for motorcycle fans. Beyond those, the Pabst Mansion, St Josaphat's dome and the Third Ward warehouses make a pleasant two or three days.

The two are close, and both are bar cities with little clubbing and a 2am last call. Milwaukee's best night out is the corner tavern with a pool table and its regulars, along with packed beer gardens in summer and crowds after games near the stadium. In winter it all moves indoors and quietens down.

Philadelphia is steadier through the year, thanks to its large student population. It also has more variety in one place: warehouse bars in Fishtown and Northern Liberties, cocktails around Rittenhouse Square and the long-established Gayborhood.

Both offer gentle, green country rather than drama, but the setting is different. Milwaukee has the open horizon of Lake Michigan, Olmsted's bluffs and ravines in Lake Park, and long flat rides on the Oak Leaf Trail. The glacial hills of Kettle Moraine are about an hour away, and the outdoor season is short.

Philadelphia's best nature is a wooded gorge, the Wissahickon, inside the city limits. The Schuylkill River Trail runs past Boathouse Row towards Valley Forge, and the Pine Barrens and the Poconos are within a day's reach.

Milwaukee has one major outing: Chicago, about an hour and a half by train. Madison, Frank Lloyd Wright's buildings in Racine, Cedarburg's stone mills and Kohler make easy smaller trips, but past those the land is mostly farmland.

Philadelphia, on the Northeast rail corridor, can reach New York, Baltimore and Washington, each a full day out by train. Amish country in Lancaster County, Gettysburg, Princeton, Longwood Gardens and Cape May give it a much longer list of trips to choose from.

Philadelphia has more to fill a family trip, mostly indoors. The Franklin Institute has its walk-through heart, the Please Touch Museum is built for small children and the Academy of Natural Sciences has dinosaurs. The Liberty Bell and the costumed guides in Old City bring history alive for older children.

Milwaukee is the calmer option, with an easy pace and easy parking. It has a large zoo, Discovery World's aquariums and the Mitchell Park Domes for cold days. It is at its best in summer, when the beach, ballgames and lakeside festivals keep children busy.

Milwaukee's centre is easy on foot. Downtown, the Third Ward and the lakefront are compact, the Riverwalk follows the river through them and The Hop streetcar links them. Beyond that core there is no metro, so the zoo, the Harley-Davidson Museum and smaller outings such as Kohler or Cedarburg mean a car or ride-hailing, although Chicago is an easy train ride away.

You can get much further in Philadelphia without a car. William Penn's grid between the two rivers puts Old City, Society Hill and the Museum District within walking distance. SEPTA adds two subway lines, trolleys, regional rail and a direct airport train. Some stations are unappealing, and trips into the countryside are still easier by car.

Philadelphia has far more to offer shoppers. There are national brands and some upscale boutiques along Walnut Street, the old diamond district on Jewelers' Row, and independent shops in Fishtown and Old City. King of Prussia's very large mall is half an hour away, and there is no sales tax on clothing.

Milwaukee is more about souvenirs than fashion. The Third Ward's warehouse boutiques and galleries are pleasant to browse, while Wisconsin cheese, local beer and Harley-Davidson gear are what most visitors take home.

Costs are similar, both priced like American cities, with tax and tip on every restaurant bill. Milwaukee is a little gentler on hotels and tavern beer, and its lakefront and festivals are often free. On the other hand, you will probably need a hire car, and big festival weekends push room rates up.

Philadelphia's hotels in Center City charge typical American rates, and its major art museums charge full admission. You can save by walking instead of hiring a car, visiting the free Independence sights, eating cheesesteaks for lunch and bringing your own wine to dinner.

Philadelphia's music scene carries more weight. The Philadelphia Orchestra is one of the country's leading ensembles. The Academy of Music, an opera house from 1857, is home to the opera and ballet, and Curtis Institute students give regular recitals. The Walnut Street Theatre is the oldest working theatre in the country, and there are jazz clubs and indie venues too.

Milwaukee has a full set of resident companies and the ornate Pabst Theater, but outside summer its season is local in scale. Its big draw is Summerfest, which brings weeks of acts across many stages to the lakefront.

Neither city has a bathing tradition, so in both, wellness means hotel and day spas. Milwaukee's pace is slower, and a walk along the lake can be truly restful. For a proper spa resort, Kohler is about an hour's drive north.

Philadelphia feels quicker and gruffer. Its calm spots are Penn's leafy squares, the courtyards of Society Hill and the Wissahickon gorge, and there are Korean-style bathhouses out in the suburbs.