Pittsburgh or Washington DC?

Neither city is a place to swim, and the nearest water is different in each. From Pittsburgh you drive about 45 minutes to Lake Arthur, a freshwater reservoir with small sand beaches in the woods, or two hours to the longer sands of Presque Isle on Lake Erie.

From Washington the nearest water is the Chesapeake, about an hour east. It is warmer than the lakes, but the water is brackish, the beaches are small and late-season jellyfish can spoil a swim. The Atlantic shore is three hours away, so it means a weekend rather than an afternoon.

Washington offers the wider and more ambitious choice of places to eat. Its Ethiopian restaurants around Shaw and U Street are the standout. Add pupusas in Columbia Heights, Chesapeake crabs and oysters in season, the old fish market on the Southwest waterfront, and tasting menus around Logan Circle and Penn Quarter.

Pittsburgh's food has more of a home-grown character but a narrower range. You'll find Eastern European pierogies and haluski, sandwiches with the fries stacked inside, and good craft beer. Its best morning is spent along the Strip District's grocers and stalls, and its best dinners are in the converted industrial buildings of Lawrenceville.

Pittsburgh's sights tell one strong story, the steel fortunes of Carnegie, Frick and Heinz. You can see it in the dinosaur halls and art of the Carnegie Museums, in the Nationality Rooms of the Cathedral of Learning, and in the Warhol and the Mattress Factory on the North Side. Its finest sight is the view of the bridges from the top of the inclines.

Washington is on another level. The Smithsonian museums, the National Gallery and the African American history museum stand within walking distance of each other along the Mall, and nearly all of them are free. Around them are the Capitol, the Lincoln Memorial and the Library of Congress. You could spend days here and still leave a lot unseen.

Both cities are for bars rather than clubbing, but Washington has more going on. Its 14th Street and U Street corridor has rooftops and late dance spots, Adams Morgan stays rowdy until late, and Dupont Circle is the centre of a long-established LGBTQ+ scene. At weekends a few large clubs book touring DJs.

Pittsburgh is friendlier and smaller. Most nights out happen on Butler Street in Lawrenceville or on the student strip of East Carson Street, and the bars fill up in black and gold on game nights. In both cities the bars shut around 2am, and neither nightlife is a reason to choose the trip.

The two cities are fairly even here, but the landscapes are different. Pittsburgh is steep and hilly, with wooded ravines in Frick and Schenley parks and kayaks under the downtown bridges. Its biggest outdoor draw is the whitewater gorge at Ohiopyle, an hour and a half away.

Washington's best outdoor spots are closer and easier. Rock Creek Park runs through the city, and Great Falls is half an hour upriver. Shenandoah's ridge walks are within a day's reach. One route links the two cities: the Great Allegheny Passage from Pittsburgh joins the C&O Canal towpath that ends in Georgetown, so cyclists can ride all the way between them.

Washington has far more within easy reach. Old Town Alexandria is a Metro ride away, Baltimore is under an hour by train, and Philadelphia's Independence Hall is a long but rewarding day by fast train. Mount Vernon, Annapolis, Gettysburg, Antietam and Harpers Ferry fill out a list that covers most of early American history.

Pittsburgh has one outstanding trip: Fallingwater, which you can combine with Wright's Kentuck Knob and the colonial fort at Ligonier. The Flight 93 memorial and Old Economy Village are worth a visit, but beyond those there is little, and you need a car for almost all of it.

Washington is the easier city with children, mainly because the best of it is free and close together. The dinosaurs at Natural History and the rockets at Air and Space can fill several days, the National Zoo costs nothing, and lifts at every Metro station make getting around with a buggy simple. The downside is the long, shadeless walk along the Mall in summer.

Pittsburgh has its own strengths: the Science Center's submarine, the free-flying birds of the National Aviary, the dinosaur halls in Oakland and the inclines. It also has Kennywood, an old amusement park with wooden roller coasters, which Washington has nothing close to. Its hills and spread-out neighbourhoods make a car almost essential with small children.

Washington is much easier to get around without a car. The centre is flat and laid out on a grid, and the Metro reaches Arlington, Alexandria and the airport. Bike-share docks along the riverside paths link the monuments. The main gap is Georgetown, which you reach on foot or by bus.

Pittsburgh's downtown is compact, with the T and short bridge walks to the North Side and the Strip. Beyond that, Oakland, Lawrenceville and Shadyside depend on commuter buses, steep hills and ride-hailing.

Neither city is worth the trip for shopping, but Washington has more choice. Georgetown's M Street mixes chains, boutiques and antique shops in old brick buildings, CityCenterDC brings luxury labels downtown, and the Smithsonian and National Gallery shops are good for prints and books.

Pittsburgh's shopping is smaller and more local. Browse the stalls and kitchenware shops of the Strip District, vintage shops on Butler Street and boutiques on Walnut Street in Shadyside. For the big brands you have to drive out to the malls.

Pittsburgh is the cheaper stay by a clear margin. Hotel rooms, even downtown, cost well below what Washington charges, and beer and casual meals are fairly priced.

Washington's restaurants, cocktails and taxis are priced for expense accounts, and rooms cost even more in cherry blossom season. Its free museums, zoo and memorials keep the cost of each day's sightseeing low. Staying in Arlington helps, but the hotel bill still makes the difference.

Washington has more to see on stage, especially theatre. You can choose new American plays at Arena Stage, the classics at the Shakespeare Theatre, sharper new work at Woolly Mammoth, and plays in the Folger's Elizabethan-style playhouse or at Ford's Theatre. Add the National Symphony, summer lawn concerts at Wolf Trap and the city's own go-go music.

Pittsburgh's strongest offering is classical. The Symphony at Heinz Hall has a long reputation, and the Benedum Center hosts opera and ballet. Its Hill District jazz past, kept alive in August Wilson's plays and a few small clubs, gives it a history of its own.

Neither city has a spa or bathing tradition, so in both, relaxing means a hotel spa or a quiet green space. In Pittsburgh, the warm glasshouses of Phipps Conservatory are the calmest spot, and for a proper spa stay you drive to the resort hotels of the Laurel Highlands.

Washington's quieter moments are in the city: an early walk round the Tidal Basin, the gardens of Dumbarton Oaks or the National Arboretum.