In his latest WTTW special, Touring Chicago’s Lakefront, host and executive producer Geoffrey Baer hikes, snorkels, and even saddles up on horseback. Off camera, his go-to ways of exploring the shoreline are by bike or boat, both of which offer a dose of nature and a chance to be social. The Highland Park native, 69, learned how to sail in the ’80s as a grad student at Northwestern and has been part of a crew for the annual Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac some 15 times. “I do the very best kind of sailing: in other people’s boats,” he says with a grin.
Getting in gear
“I’m no good at exercising on my own. My next-door neighbor is a huge bicycle guy. So as often as three mornings a week, I’ll ride with his group on the easier rides, usually 20 to 25 miles. From Evanston, where I live, I sometimes ride to Lake Bluff and back — about 40 miles. I used to think, ‘Oh man, I could never do that,’ but I do it now.”
Daybreak routine
“I have a morning ritual with Milo, our tuxedo cat. He jumps on my lap and I pet him. There’s something incredibly calming about having an animal. I also do a yoga sun salutation. I’ve been doing three of those, every single morning, for 51 years. I just don’t feel right if I don’t.”
Puzzling situation
“About 20 years ago, I started doing the Sunday New York Times crossword puzzle. Little by little, over the course of the week, I would finish it. Now I do it in one sitting, in ink. It is incredible what it does for your mind.”
Lake effects
“Sailing is euphoric. When you’re carving through the waves, moving with the wind, it’s like a high. It’s good exercise, too: You’re constantly adjusting your body weight and using your muscles. And it takes tremendous mental discipline.”