It was somewhere about 30 minutes outside of Union Station in Washington when I made it to the end of the train. There I was, finally able to look out the back window at the tracks the train had just traversed.

It was peaceful.

Then another fellow came along and tapped on the rear window. He did it as a rite of passage. Yes, he had walked the entire length of the train and wanted to tap the window to prove it – so to speak.
Presumably, he had tapped the front window when he began his journey.

Or actually it’s a walk.

The name, “Walk to Washington,” is not a misnomer. It truly can take the entire train ride to walk the length of the train and back.

The state Chamber of Commerce has been doing this for more than 80 years.

There is some controversy – people getting drunk and acting obnoxious and, of course, the cozy relationship among businesses, lobbyists and politicians. A number of activist groups made that very point before the train left Newark.

But beyond the wheeling and dealing, a lot of the trip seemed to be about just seeing folks and being seen. But things are certainly congested and sometimes bumpy enough to make the Amtrak train feel like a New York City subway.

On my trek through the train, one woman was pressing Jon Bramnick, the Assembly Minority Leader, on whether or not he would back a specific bill. Bramnick was polite but non-committal.

Further along, I ran into a guy who said he talked at length to the mayor of Plainfield, Adrian Mapp, about a business deal for the city. Earlier, Mapp told me Plainfield is “open for business,” so maybe the talks were fruitful.

There was Assemblyman Anthony Bucco in one car holding court with whomever came by. In the same car were Democratic legislators Eliana Pintor Marin, an assemblywoman, and Teresa Ruiz, a senator. On this day, they were seated behind each other as opposed to across the aisle..

Veterans of the trip said the train is often more crowded when it’s a gubernatorial election year.

Jack Ciattarelli wasn’t waiting.

The already-announced GOP candidate for governor in 2021, Ciattarelli said he got a “few votes.” He was not concerned. “There’s time,” he said.

But there is less time for those running this year. That included the Democratic duo in District 25 (Bucco’s district) of Lisa Bhimani and Darcy Draeger. They were on the trip doing all they could to become better known.

One woman on the journey was Ruthi Byrne, the widow of former Governor Brendan Byrne.

How many trips has she made?

“A million,” she said.

Why do it year after year?

Ruthi Byrne acted as if that was a dumb question and maybe it was.

“You see people,” she said. “You connect with people you can’t get on the phone.”

Few would argue with that.