Outside of Pittsburgh
 

I'm looking for a place near Pittsburgh. My girlfriend lives in Philadelphia and I live in Detroit. We were planning to meet in Pittsburgh, but we had the idea of maybe staying at a nearby lakeside area (if there is one). I don't mind if it's a tad bit East of Pittburgh.

We're considering going somewhere other than Pittburgh city, possibly a place we can stay near water, but right in that area.

Any ideas/suggestions?

You might try Seven Springs Resort...There's no lake but lots to do.

Ohiopyle State Park is beautiful and about and hour and a half from Pittsburgh. There is whitewater rafting, hiking, etc. http://www.fay-west.com/ohiopyle/ It is close to Fallingwater which is a great tour: http://www.fallingwater.org/2 Problem is I don't know any romantic lodging close. There are a couple B&B's and some cabins but I don't think that's what you had in mind. We stayed in Pittsburgh and made the drive. Maybe you could find something closer as it is a beautiful area.

I ended up booking in downtown Pittsburgh. We'll be looking for things to do in the city, and possibly a small day trip as well. Spending 3 days there. I'd be thrilled if anybody has any ideas or wants to let me in on little known secrets of the city. Thank you...

Well, for the day trip I still recommend Fallingwater mentioned above. It is a beautiful drive and truly interesting and unique.

In the city I recommend Andy Warhol's museum: http://www.warhol.org/

Pittsburgh is a great city. My daughter has lived there for the past 4 years while a student at Pitt and we all fell in love with the city.
I agree with cd that Ohiopyle State Park would be a good place to visit for outdoor activities. My daughter went whitewater rafting there a couple of times and had a lot of fun. I also concur with cd's recommendations for Fallingwater and the Andy Warhol Museum (half-price admission on Friday evenings).
Since we are most familiar with the Pitt campus area, I would recommend a visit to the Cathedral of Learning (http://www.tour.pitt.edu/tour-080.html) and the Heinz Chapel (http://www.heinzchapel.pitt.edu/) on campus. Inside the Cathedral of Learning are the renowned Nationality Rooms and I highly recommend that you do a tour, either guided or self-tour, of them. (http://www.pitt.edu/~natrooms/index.html) After touring around campus, stop for an ice cream at Dave and Andy's Homemade Ice Cream (207 Atwood Street), a local place that serves nationally award-winning ice cream.
(And a bit of movie trivia, the scenes of the courthouse where Hannibal Lecter escapes in "Silence of the Lambs" was filmed at the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial on the Pitt campus.)
Finally, don't miss taking one of the inclines for super views of the city.

other interesting sites:

National Aviary
Phipps Conservatory

I second the incline - it is a great view and there are some nice restaurants at the top of Mt Washington. The strip district is a fun place to grab coffee and wander the shops/stalls. The Warhol is cool -there are special exhibits that are always interesting even if you don't like warhol.

Weird things to eat: Primanti brothers (there is one downtown in Market square and one in Oakland, among others) -- pick your meat (or eggs, or cheese) and they add french fries and coleslaw, all on giant slices of fresh bread. It sounds gross, and sort of is, but good! They also put french fries on all of the salads here (?).

For nightlife, you could drive or take a taxi to the southside (across the Monongahela river from downtown).

For a day trip, there is also the Allegheny National Forest, but it will be a haul. There is great biking, hiking and canoeing.

Check this out:
www.riversofsteel.com
Something a bit different.
IF you're lucky you might be in town at the time of one of their organized tours or activities, otherwise there are self guided tours; lots of interesting information at the site.