The thing that strikes me most is how the writing culture was alive and well and indeed, the writer is gifted with a style that transcends the bureaucracy that surrounded him. For me, it's like paradise lost since I've said aloud that if Uber did boats, the slowest among them would be superior to any method on land in a city that judged from a plane is a snake's forked tongue of rivers surrounded by traffic on goat paths and train trestles that look like a motocross racetrack.
The fact that CIA was doing this at the time gives you a rough idea of how thoughtful they were and how the choice of time and place many Americans enjoy at work today is a feeble attempt compared to this magical existence. I can only imagine the organizational conversation that occurred to put this commute in place, particularly given my own experience with government and FFRDCs. To me, the improvement in cadence, community, and cognition is clear, but I doubt those views are widely held today. I know I'd sleep better at night if I rowed an actual canoe twice-a-day instead of a water rower.
;->