Word on the street: The latest news from Union Square

All in one week, Union Square hosted a protest, a social experiment, and the promotion for a new network series. In addition to protests, experiments and promotions, there is one more thing Union Square can’t get enough of: parties. Union Square Café and Old Town Bar’s urinals both celebrated Nov. 1 birthdays. Unfortunately the street vendors decided to skipout on the party to sleep –inside their halal carts. And also typical for Union Square, Hyatt starts the rebuilding of an unfinished hotel on 13th Street.

• The Rider Rebellion Campaign, along with Al Sharpton, led a rally for better transit, discussing issues like fare hikes, service cuts. Read here.
• If you go to the Union Square subway station right now, you can find a USB flash drive planted in the brick walls. This is part of a new social experiment where anyone can plug in their laptops and upload or drop off files to the flash drive. Read here.
• Only at Union Square could someone capture a picture like this. A photo entry in the New York Times’ chess blog shows a zombie intensely involved in one of the many chess games that go on at the park. Read here.
• Birthday #1: Union Square Café turns 25! Who knew the restaurant was such a popular place for publishers? Read here.
• Birthday #2: Old Town Bar’s urinals turn 100! The party included a letter from Mayor Bloomberg to congratulate the last of the “low-splashing” toilets. Read here.
• Food cart vendors have started to sleep inside their carts so that they can get the best spots. Does that mean the guy at the halal truck had a sleepover with the chicken and rice I bought today? Read here.
• The unfinished hotel on 13th Street and 4th Avenue is set to be the newest Hyatt hotel. Features include a rooftop lounge, private terraces, and a Greenmarket-inspired restaurant! Read here.