Pittsburgh or Wilmington?

This is where the two cities are furthest apart. Pittsburgh sits on rivers nobody swims in. The nearest beaches are small and sandy, on Lake Arthur, a reservoir about 45 minutes north, and the better sand at Presque Isle on Lake Erie is two hours away.

Wilmington has real Atlantic beaches close by. Wrightsville is the most polished, Carolina Beach has a boardwalk and family crowds, and Kure is the quietest. The sea is warm from late May into October. You do have to drive, park and keep an eye out for rip currents.

Pittsburgh offers more range. Pierogies and haluski reflect its Central and Eastern European heritage, the Strip District is a long market street of Italian grocers and Asian markets, and chef-led kitchens fill old industrial buildings in Lawrenceville and East Liberty.

Wilmington cooks from the coast: local shrimp, flounder and oysters, shrimp and grits, and vinegar-sauced whole-hog barbecue. It is pleasant for a few days, but international cooking is thin and the beach towns lean on fried seafood. Both cities have a strong craft-beer culture.

Pittsburgh has much more to see. The Carnegie Museums of Art and Natural History, the Cathedral of Learning's Nationality Rooms, the Warhol and the Frick estate could fill several days. The city itself, with its bridges seen from Mount Washington, is a sight in its own right.

Wilmington's strength is atmosphere rather than collections. Its large historic district of antebellum houses and live oaks, the Bellamy Mansion and the Battleship North Carolina across the river make a good two or three days.

Both cities are about bars rather than clubs, and both close at 2am. Pittsburgh spreads its nights across several neighbourhoods: cocktail bars and breweries on Butler Street in Lawrenceville, student pub crawls on East Carson Street, and crowded bars on game nights. Wilmington gathers its nightlife downtown around Front Street, with rooftop terraces and pubs, and adds laid-back beach bars in summer. Out of season its weeknights go very quiet.

Both have plenty of outdoors, but the landscapes could hardly be more different. Pittsburgh is steep and wooded, with ravine trails in Frick and Schenley parks, whitewater rafting at Ohiopyle and the Great Allegheny Passage cycle trail leading out of town.

Wilmington is flat and watery. You can paddle to undeveloped Masonboro Island, go surfing and sailing off Wrightsville, or walk pine savanna where the Venus flytrap grows wild. There are no hills for hiking, and the summer marshes bring biting insects.

The two are much alike here: each has one strong outing and a short list after it. From Pittsburgh, the outing is Fallingwater paired with Kentuck Knob in the Laurel Highlands, with Ligonier and the Flight 93 memorial further along. From Wilmington, it is Southport and the ferry to car-free Bald Head Island, stopping at Fort Fisher on the way. Pittsburgh's trips lean towards architecture and history in forest country, Wilmington's towards small coastal towns, and both need a car.

Both work well with children, in different ways. Pittsburgh's museums carry it through any season: the Science Center with its submarine, the National Aviary, the dinosaur halls and Phipps Conservatory's glasshouses on a wet day. In summer, Kennywood's wooden roller coasters add a full day out, and the ride up the inclines goes down well at any time of year.

Wilmington is a summer place for families. It is built around the beaches, the boardwalk rides at Carolina Beach and the aquarium at Fort Fisher, with plenty of rental houses near the sand. Its drawbacks are the heat, the rip currents and needing the car for everything.

Pittsburgh is easier without a car. Downtown is walkable, bridges lead straight to the North Side museums, and the T light rail and the inclines cover the core. Reaching Oakland or Lawrenceville means slow buses or ride-hailing.

In Wilmington, only the flat historic centre and the riverwalk work on foot. The beaches are 15km or more away and buses are infrequent. In practice a hire car is part of the trip.

Neither city is worth visiting for shopping, and both send mainstream shoppers to the suburbs. What you do find is different. Pittsburgh has the food stalls and kitchenware of the Strip District, plus vintage and design shops on Butler Street. Wilmington has antique dealers, galleries and bookshops along Front Street and in the Cotton Exchange, and surf wear in the beach towns.

Both are moderately priced American cities, with tips and taxes on top of every restaurant bill. Pittsburgh's hotels, even downtown, are well below coastal rates, though they rise on big game and concert weekends, and rides between neighbourhoods add up. In Wilmington the season matters most. Off-season rooms are reasonable, but beachfront rentals climb in summer, and a hire car is a cost most visitors cannot avoid.

Pittsburgh is clearly stronger. The Symphony plays in the gilded Heinz Hall, and the Benedum Center hosts opera, ballet and touring Broadway shows. The city also has a jazz heritage rooted in the Hill District of August Wilson's plays, and indie bands play in Lawrenceville.

Wilmington's scene centres on Thalian Hall, its restored nineteenth-century opera house, along with a community symphony and summer stages by Greenfield Lake. Its long-standing jazz and blues festivals are lively, but most visitors fit them around a beach trip.

Neither city has a bathing tradition or a real spa retreat. Wilmington still makes it easier to unwind, thanks to its slow pace, quiet waterfront evenings and resort spas near the beaches. In Pittsburgh, relaxing means Phipps Conservatory's warm glasshouses or a walk in Frick Park, and a proper spa stay means driving to the Laurel Highlands.