Pittsburgh or Virginia Beach?

This is the widest gap between the two. Virginia Beach is a beach resort first and foremost, with miles of pale Atlantic sand and lifeguards along the main stretch. It also has gentler water on the Chesapeake Bay side for small children and quieter dunes at Sandbridge.

Pittsburgh has no swimming in its rivers. The nearest beaches are small patches of sand on Lake Arthur, or Presque Isle on Lake Erie two hours away. They make a summer outing, not a reason to go.

Pittsburgh offers more to discover at the table. Its Central and Eastern European heritage shows in pierogies and haluski, the Strip District is a long market street worth a morning on its own, and Lawrenceville and East Liberty have chef-led kitchens and craft breweries.

Virginia Beach has one clear strength, which is seafood. Lynnhaven oysters and Chesapeake blue crab are best eaten dockside by the inlet. Along the resort strip, though, chains and buffets take over, and many visitors drive into Norfolk for more choice.

Pittsburgh is far richer in sights, thanks to the money of the steel barons. The Carnegie Museums of Art and Natural History, the Andy Warhol Museum, the Nationality Rooms in the Cathedral of Learning and the Frick estate could fill several days. Riding an incline up Mount Washington to look over the bridges and rivers is a sight in itself.

Virginia Beach has history in small doses. Cape Henry, where English colonists landed in 1607, and the early brick Adam Thoroughgood House are worth an hour or two. For anything more substantial you have to leave the city.

Neither city is a clubbing destination, but Pittsburgh gives you more choice through the year. Its bar scenes are spread across distinct neighbourhoods: cocktail bars and breweries on Butler Street, student pub crawls on East Carson Street, and sports crowds on game nights.

In Virginia Beach, going out means rooftop decks and beach bars on the Oceanfront in summer, cheerful and loud. Town Center is a calmer alternative. Out of season the strip empties early, and Norfolk is where locals go for more character.

Both have plenty of outdoor life, but in very different landscapes. Pittsburgh is hilly and wooded, with ravine trails in Frick and Schenley parks, kayaking under the downtown bridges, and whitewater rafting and waterfalls at Ohiopyle. It is at its best when the ridges turn colour in autumn.

Virginia Beach is flat and coastal. You get cypress swamp and dunes at First Landing, the empty barrier shoreline of Back Bay and False Cape, surfing, and kayaking out to see dolphins in summer. It suits paddlers and birdwatchers, not anyone who wants a climb.

Virginia Beach has the stronger list of outings. Colonial Williamsburg, Jamestown and Yorktown are about an hour away and make one of the best history days in the country. Norfolk's battleship and waterfront, and Kitty Hawk on the Outer Banks, are also within easy reach.

Pittsburgh has one outstanding trip, Fallingwater, which pairs well with Kentuck Knob and Ligonier in the Laurel Highlands. Beyond that and the Flight 93 memorial, the choice soon runs out. You need a car for nearly every outing from either city.

Virginia Beach is the easier family choice in summer. The beach and boardwalk keep children busy day after day, the bay beaches suit toddlers, and the aquarium and the theme park near Williamsburg are close by.

Pittsburgh is better when the weather turns. The Carnegie Science Center, Children's Museum, National Aviary and the dinosaur halls are all indoors, and the Phipps glasshouses are there for a wet day. Kennywood's wooden coasters are a summer treat. Its hills make a car useful with small children.

Pittsburgh is easier to manage without a car. Downtown is compact, bridges lead on foot to the North Side and the Strip, and the T light rail and the inclines cover the core. Reaching Oakland or Lawrenceville means slow buses or ride-hailing, though.

Virginia Beach works on foot only along the Oceanfront, where the boardwalk and a summer trolley link the hotels. Everything else lies across suburban sprawl, so a car is close to essential, and summer traffic into the resort can be slow.

Neither city is worth a trip for shopping, but the browsing is different. Pittsburgh's is local: food stalls and kitchenware in the Strip District, vintage and independent shops on Butler Street, and boutiques on Walnut Street in Shadyside. Virginia Beach offers malls, chain stores at Town Center and surf shops on the Oceanfront, which are the one thing with real local roots.

Pittsburgh is the more dependable on cost. Hotels are well below big-city levels on most nights, and casual food and beer are reasonably priced, though big game weekends push rooms up.

Virginia Beach depends on when you go. In summer, oceanfront rooms and beach houses are expensive, especially at weekends. Out of season the same rooms cost far less, and the beach and state parks are close to free. The need for a car adds to the bill all year.

Pittsburgh is much stronger here. In the downtown Cultural District, the Pittsburgh Symphony plays Heinz Hall, and opera, ballet and touring musicals fill the Benedum Center. There is also year-round theatre, a jazz heritage rooted in the Hill District that August Wilson wrote about, and indie bands in Lawrenceville.

Virginia Beach offers summer entertainment instead: touring rock and country acts at the amphitheatre, and free concerts on the boardwalk stages. For opera or a symphony you drive half an hour to Norfolk.

Pittsburgh finds its rest in pockets: a hotel spa, a stroll through Frick Park or an hour in the warm Phipps glasshouses. For a proper spa stay you drive out to the Laurel Highlands resorts.

Virginia Beach is the calmer choice, though it has no bathing tradition either and its spas are mostly in the oceanfront hotels. What restores you is the pace, with early mornings on the boardwalk and quiet spring and autumn months. Avoid high summer if peace is the aim, as the resort is then crowded and loud.