Harvard Square icon to close

For more than three decades, it has been a fixture in Harvard Square, first as UpStairs at the Pudding and, since 2002, as UpStairs on the Square — in both its incarnations, a place that drew celebrities and locals alike for its eclectic menu and its Alice in Wonderland decor.

But on New Year's Eve, the iconic restaurant that Mary-Catherine Deibel and Deborah Hughes founded will close its doors for the last time after a grand finale fete with dancing and champagne to celebrate UpStairs' storied history.

"It's been a long and fruitful 31 years," Deibel said last night. "Now it's pedal to the metal so we have a great three months."

News that their landlord has decided to sell the building at 91 Winthrop St. came as a shock to those who have come to see it as a local landmark.

The restaurant opened in 1982 for Harvard's Hasting Pudding Woman of the Year, Ella Fitzgerald, and went on to host other celebrities over the years, including Bono, Tom Cruise, Julia Roberts and James Franco.

"The restaurant has always been beautiful and fun, with its zebra prints, hot pink walls and chandeliers," said Denise Jillson, executive director of the Harvard Square Business Association. "It could make something as simple as a roast chicken dinner memorable. It will be sorely missed."

UpStairs had a particular appeal for young professional women who could meet there after work for drinks, Jillson said. Her personal favorite was the Jackie O'.

"I have no idea what was in it," she said. "I can only tell you that it was very effective."

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Midtown luxury units sport perks

The developers of Millennium Place, a 15-story luxury complex in midtown, aren't just selling condos, but creating an upscale urban lifestyle.

The three-bedroom condo we looked at had all the high-end amenities and views you'd expect with a price point of more than $1,000 per square foot. But what separates it from other properties of its type is a complete lifestyle experience called La Vie that offers residents social events, from fireside chats with notable guests to movie nights in the 16-seat common screening room as well as on- and off-site wine and culinary events, and musical and theatrical performances.

Other amenities include an owner's lounge with a wall-length fireplace and a bar and dining area with food catered by the upcoming on-site Legal Crossing restaurant. There's also a fully outfitted Sports Club/L.A. fitness center with a yoga room and a meditation center and a kid's club playroom.

Millennium Place has 256 luxury one- to three-bedroom units ranging in size from 775 square feet to 2,360 square feet, including 14 penthouses with private terraces. Condo prices range from $750,000 to $3.5 million, and more than 85 percent of the units have already been sold as the complex's first residents moved in this week.

There are 61 units on the more desirable Washington Street side that overlooks the Ritz Carlton Residences and the iconic Paramount Theater sign, but only six are still available. We took a look at one of these, Unit 2B, a three-bedroom, three-bath, second-floor unit that's going for $1,935,000.

The building has a distinctive exterior of staggered glass bays and beige brick, and the lobby continues the black rectangular window theme with black marble flooring, a white marble concierge desk and floor-to-ceiling glass windows overlooking a rear urban greenspace. Upstairs, the common hallways are carpeted and feature sconce lighting, and units have recessed entrances with quarter-sewn walnut doors.

The door opens into an oak hallway that leads to an open kitchen/dining/living area that has white ivory oak floors, 9-foot ceilings and recessed lighting.

The kitchen area features 20 self-closing walnut cabinets, with cashmere white granite countertops and a glass-mosaic tile backsplash. There's an island with a built-in ULine wine cooler. Other appliances include cabinet-enclosed G.E. Monogram refrigerator and Bosch dishwasher as well as a Bosch gas stovetop and Bosch oven below.

The dining/living area has a gas fireplace with black granite surround as well as a wall of floor-to-ceiling windows in a bay that projects outward, offering a panoramic three-sided view up and down Washington Street and up Avery Street to the Boston Common.

To the right of the living area is a carpeted master bedroom suite with a good-sized bedroom overlooking Washington Street. The suite has four closets, including a walk-in. The en-suite master bathroom is done in luxurious Eastern white marble floors, walls and surround for a deep soaking tub and a glass-doored steam shower. There's a creme marble-topped walnut vanity with two sinks.

Off the center hallway are the unit's other two bedrooms. The second bedroom is decent-sized with side alley views, and has an en-suite taupe and white porcelain tile bathroom with a walk-in shower and an ivory pearl marble-topped wood vanity.

The third carpeted bedroom, which would work well as a home office, is on the small side. There is a third bathroom across the hall with taupe and white porcelain tile, a walk-in shower and an ivory pearl marble-topped wood vanity.

Also along the hallway is a closet that holds a stacked Bosch washer and dryer.

Unit 2B comes with one garage parking space, with vehicles brought up by valet. The $1,923 monthly condo fee is near the $1 per square foot that top buildings typically assess, but most of the substantial amenities are included, including the free year's membership at the Sports Club/LA.

Broker: Potential buyers who wish to schedule an appointment can email bostonlives@mplaceboston.com or call 617-542-1555

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Accord coupe adds some pizzazz

OK, so it may not be the Beach Boy's "Little Deuce Coupe," but the completely redesigned 2013 Honda Accord is a fun-to-drive two-door, six-speed that hits the market with flare.

It was built fresh from the ground up, with a new smooth, tight suspension that offers a quieter ride without giving up its legacy as a sporty handling sedan. I found the powerful 278 horsepower V6 to be quick, responsive and, best of all, more fuel efficient. I averaged nearly 26 miles per gallon in mixed, but spirited driving, and pushed past the high end of the 28 mpg estimate on the highway.

What was even more fun, though, was rocking through the six-speed while really driving the car. Working the gearbox, I found the throw a tad long for me, but the shift points were tight and super torquey. The coupe drives smaller than it looks and although it seats five, clambering into the back is for the more spry among us. This machine even has a hill assist, reducing some clutch fatigue.

Honda, under fire recently for its conservative design approach, has broken the mold and added some pizazz back into its lineup. The Accord, famous for its longevity, sportiness and reliability, looks to recapture its share of the highly competitive mid-size market. Shaking off a few years of pedestrian-looking sedans, the roof line has been lowered, styling sharpened and a more aggressive-looking nose added by Honda engineers who are listening to consumers' demands.

The interior fits the spirit of this rebuild with comfortable leather-trimmed seats and steering wheel and the safety features standard on the EX-L trim level included back-up camera, lane departure warning, blind spot monitoring and forward collision warning. I really liked how the infotainment center streamed my Pandora. The dash is streamlined with two gauges and car information readouts.

One tripup was the frustrating navigation system that I found to have too many drop down menus. Honda sticks with a toggle wheel for input instead of using the touch screen pad. Honda is using a Harmon-designed voice activation system that makes running the center a bit easier.

The loaded EX-L coupe's MSRP checks in with a base of $32,350 and we tested at $33,140, placing it on the higher end among the fully equipped cars in the category. But don't fret, a more modestly trimmed car can be had in the mid- $20,000s and good deals can be found on the 2013s.

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Budget battles bad for business

Even though there's a short-term deal to reopen the government and raise the debt ceiling, the never-ending cycle of budget fights are hurting consumer confidence and creating uncertainty about the economy, business leaders and an economist said.

"All of the surveys show that consumers are cautious," said Jon Hurst, president of the Retailers Association of Massachusetts. "It couldn't have come at a worse time," Hurst said of the 16-day showdown.

With just over a month before the holiday shopping season gets going, lower confidence could lead to lower spending at a key time, he said.

The bipartisan legislation put together by the Senate lets the Treasury borrow through Feb. 7, and funds the government through Jan. 15. The Senate and later the House both passed it last night. The White House said President Obama signed the bill early today, hours after the House gave final approval.

"We fought the good fight. We just didn't win," House Speaker John Boehner said.

The White House budget office has already instructed federal workers to plan to return to work this morning.

"We'll begin reopening our government immediately and we can begin to lift this cloud of uncertainty from our businesses and the American people," the president said.

The bill, however, only delays the same debate, said Jim Klocke, executive vice president of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce.

"The fact that the deal that has been struck is only a three-month fix is in many ways only going to prolong the uncertainty," Klocke said. "All we've done is deferred the arrival of the bullet for a few months."

Nigel Gault, co-chief economist for the Parthenon Group, said the nation's global credibility will take a hit.

"We've gone to the brink once again, damaged the international reputation of the U.S.," Gault said.

The bill contained almost nothing substantial for Republicans demanding changes to Obamacare. The only provision is a requirement for Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to produce a report stating her agency can verify the incomes of individuals who apply for federal subsidies.

Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, a potential 2016 presidential candidate, told Boston Herald Radio yesterday he was never in favor of shutting down the government as a way to fight Obamacare. "I've always thought really if you want to talk about Obamacare, talk about how bad it is, and how awful it's going to be ... that's all good. But attaching it to shutting down the government, I didn't think was a good idea," he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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White House: Furloughed workers can return to work

WASHINGTON — The federal government is back open for business.

The Obama administration changed the government's status to "open" early Thursday, more than two weeks after a partial shutdown took hold when funding from Congress ran out.

Minutes after President Barack Obama signed a hard-fought deal struck in Congress, the White House directed all agencies to reopen promptly and in an orderly fashion. Furloughed federal employees across the country are expected to return to work Thursday.

"In the days ahead, we will work closely with departments and agencies to make the transition back to full operating status as smooth as possible," said Sylvia Mathews Burwell, director of the Office of Management and Budget.

Unless they are told otherwise, all employees should return to work on their next regularly scheduled work day, the Office of Personnel Management said. For most workers, that means they'll be expected to clock in Thursday morning.

But the administration also said agencies are strongly encouraged to be flexible where they can, including by allowing telework, flexible scheduling and excused absences in cases of hardship. Many federal workers may be unable to return to work on such short notice.

The White House encouraged federal workers to check OPM's website for additional instructions about returning to work.

Hundreds of thousands of workers have been furloughed since the shutdown started Oct. 1. The measure Obama signed Thursday restores government funding through Jan. 15. It also extends the nation's borrowing authority through Feb. 7, averting a potential default.

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Online:

Office of Personnel Management: http://www.opm.gov

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SF Bay Area trains run as strike talks drag on

OAKLAND, Calif. — The contentious talks between the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit agency and its two largest unions have dragged on for six months — a period that has seen a chaotic dayslong strike, a cooling-off period and frazzled commuters wondering if they'll wake up to find the trains aren't running.

"We're going to do everything we can to avert a strike," Josie Mooney, a chief negotiator for Service Employees International Union Local 1021, said before entering talks Wednesday. "That doesn't mean we're not ready for a strike. That doesn't mean we're not able to pull off a work action. We don't want to."

Hundreds of thousands of commuters have endured seven strike deadlines, sometimes staying up past midnight waiting to hear if the trains will run in the morning.

On Wednesday, they waited until about 10:30 p.m. to receive word from a federal mediator that the transit system will continue to run Thursday as unions and management agree to keep talking.

The possibility of a strike appeared to dim earlier in the day when Local 1021 President Roxanne Sanchez said she was hopeful that her union and the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1555 will come up with a deal by late Wednesday.

"We're asking that this process conclude tonight," Sanchez said. "We can do this. We should do this. It is within our grasp."

BART spokeswoman Alicia Trost said the agency has been flooded with calls and emails this week from commuters frustrated that they haven't been given earlier notices.

Neither side would say where negotiations stand.

But at least one person seems comfortable betting that a strike won't happen.

A spokeswoman for San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee announced Wednesday afternoon that he had left on a trip to Asia. After delaying his flight for two days to ready the city for a possible strike, Lee concluded that a walkout seemed unlikely and went ahead with the planned trip.

Federal mediator George Cohen said progress has been made but he has imposed a gag order on the parties.

The key issues have been salaries and worker contributions to their health and pension plans.

Talks began in April, three months before the June 30 contract expirations, but both sides were far apart. The unions initially asked for 23.2 percent in raises over three years. BART countered with a four-year contract with 1 percent raises contingent on the agency meeting economic goals.

The unions contended that members made $100 million in concessions when they agreed to a deal in 2009 as BART faced a $310 million deficit. And they said they wanted their members to get their share of a $125 million operating surplus produced through increased ridership.

But the transit agency countered that it needed to control costs to help pay for new rail cars and other improvements.

On Sunday, BART General Manager Grace Crunican presented a "last, best and final offer" that includes an annual 3 percent raise over four years and requires workers to contribute 4 percent toward their pension and 9.5 percent toward medical benefits.

The value of BART's proposal is $57 million, BART spokeswoman Alicia Trost said, adding that the agency is looking at ways to incorporate the unions' counterproposals into that cost.

SEIU Local 1021 executive director Pete Castelli said Monday the parties were between $6 million to $10 million apart.

Workers represented by the two unions, including more than 2,300 mechanics, custodians, station agents, train operators and clerical staff, now average about $71,000 in base salary and $11,000 in overtime annually, the transit agency said. BART workers currently pay $92 a month for health care and contribute nothing toward their pensions.

Meanwhile, Gov. Jerry Brown has stepped in to at least delay a strike by workers for regional bus system Alameda-Contra Costa Transit. Such a strike would leave commuters stranded without a mass transit alternative if a BART strike is underway at the same time.

Brown appointed a three-member panel to investigate a strike notice by union workers. The move effectively prevents a strike, which had been threatened for Thursday, for a week. A 60-day cooling-off period in the contract dispute could then be imposed.

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Asian stocks mixed as US debt deal deadline looms

MANILA, Philippines — Asian stock markets fluctuated between gains and losses Wednesday as a deadline for divided U.S. lawmakers to agree on a higher government borrowing limit drew ever closer.

Unless Congress acts by Thursday, the government will lose its ability to borrow and will be required to meet its obligations by relying on cash in hand and incoming tax receipts. That could mean the U.S. is unable to repay holders of Treasury bills that mature in coming days and would be in default on its debt.

Japan's Nikkei 225 was up 0.2 percent at 14,464.04 while Hong Kong's Hang Seng dropped 0.4 percent to 23,226.53. China's Shanghai Composite fell 1.4 percent to 2,203.34. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 added 0.2 percent to 5,268.20.

Stock indexes in Singapore, Malaysia, New Zealand and the Philippines eked out modest gains.

"The market is still relatively calm waiting for the storm to hit tomorrow, when the U.S. will reach its debt ceiling and then default will follow and all hell will break loose," said Francis Lun, chief economist at GE Oriental Finance Group in Hong Kong.

"Everybody is thinking the inevitable now. It is inevitable that the U.S. will miss an agreement before the deadline," he said.

On Wall Street, stocks were flat or down all day Tuesday, but the size of the losses waxed and waned depending on which politician was giving a press conference about the budget impasse. The market closed with its first loss in a week. Yields on short-term government debt rose sharply as investors worried about the possibility of a default.

Another reason for Wall Street's pessimism was that any deal reached this week might simply set up another showdown a few months down the road.

Lawmakers are also trying to agree on ending a partial government shutdown that has resulted in many Federal workers idled without pay.

The Dow Jones industrial average fell 133.25 points, or 0.9 percent, to 15,168.01. The Standard & Poor's 500 fell 12.08 points, or 0.7 percent, to 1,698.06. The Nasdaq composite fell 21.26 points, or 0.6 percent, to 3,794.01.

In energy markets, benchmark crude for November delivery was up 4 cents at $101.17 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract fell $1.20 to close at $101.21 on Tuesday.

The euro fell to $1.3511 from $1.3522 late Tuesday in New York. The dollar rose to 98.53 yen from 98.22 yen.

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Demand for food aid spikes in Britain

LONDON — Demand for emergency food aid has spiked this year in Britain, a leading charity said Wednesday, suggesting low-income households' living standards are still sliding despite the end of the recession.

The Trussell Trust, a Christian charity that operates food banks throughout the country, said in a report that just under 356,000 people received three days of non-perishable food between April and September — about 10,000 more than their entire 2012-2013 financial year.

Chris Mould, the Trussell Trust's executive chairman, appealed to the government to launch an inquiry into the causes of hunger in the U.K. With winter approaching, the worst may be yet to come.

"This is disturbing," he said. "It's not going away. It's getting worse."

WORRIES AHEAD OF WINTER

Mould said that increasing numbers of people in Britain are living on incomes that are insufficient to cover the rising costs of food, gas and electricity, fuel, transport and other basic necessities. Disposable incomes have fallen, when adjusted for inflation, since the global financial crisis erupted in 2007-2008. But the cost of necessities has risen — gas and electricity costs are up 30 percent in real terms since 2007.

The trust says many people this winter will choose between "eating and heating."

"People at food banks have started giving back food items that need cooking because they can't afford to turn on the electricity," the trust said in a statement.

The British Red Cross announced last week it would have 30,000 volunteers help in a massive food drive at the end of November. The Red Cross hasn't been involved in food distribution on a wide scale in Britain since World War II.

IMPACT OF AUSTERITY

The stress on the poor has increased since Britain's coalition government, elected in 2010, imposed tough spending cuts and tax increases intended to reduce the budget deficit. That government has cut welfare payments, forced many low-income residents to pay local government tax for the first time, and imposed a new fee for public housing tenants with spare bedrooms.

Treasury chief George Osborne has acknowledged that the austerity has proven to be hard on the country — and that recovery is taking "longer than anyone hoped." But the government insists the pain is a short-term necessity for the country's long-term economic well-being — and that there is no evidence that welfare reforms are causing people to go hungry.

Among those struggling is Tim Day, 30, a graphic designer who is between jobs and visited one of the trust's distribution centers at the United Reformed Church in Bromley on Tuesday. Between temporary work contracts, Day was grateful for a three-day supply of food including orange juice, vegetables, and porridge. But he's always worried about making ends meet.

"It's stressful," he said, describing the constant ups and downs that come without the certainty of a full-time job.

UPWARD TREND

The numbers show a steady increase in the numbers of people needing help to eat. When the trust's network started in 2000, it served 600 people at one site. By 2008, as the global financial crisis was erupting, that number had climbed to nearly 26,000 at 60 sites.

The trust keeps opening new centers and now has about 400 that operate in conjunction with churches and charitable institutions.

Britain's government said in a statement that it isn't surprising that numbers of users would increase as the number of food banks increase.

But the trust says the increase is not linked to people learning about their services and signing up for free food. Recipients are referred by social service workers, and other professionals who issue vouchers meant to help people get through an emergency. No one is allowed to just drop in.

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Review: Button location sets LG's G2 apart

SEOUL, South Korea — The G2 and the G Pad 8.3, the flagship smartphone and tablet from LG Electronics Inc., are great mobile devices that have fantastic screens, top-end cameras and ample processing power.

But making solid devices is not enough to stand apart from the crowd in the ultra-competitive mobile phone market, which probably pushed LG to make some bold design decisions in a bid to differentiate its G series from Samsung's Galaxy line and Apple's iPad mini.

For the G2, which was released last month in the U.S., LG moved the power and volume controls to the back of the phone. For the G Pad, which goes on sale in the U.S. next week, LG added a full HD screen, a rarity in 8-inch tablet computers.

While these design choices set the G2 and the G Pad apart from 'me too' devices trying to catch up with Samsung and Apple, they might also limit their appeal.

Not everyone will be pleased with having to change the basic habits of smartphone operation. They will scratch their heads looking for those buttons just like I did. The full HD screen display makes the G Pad a couple of hundred dollars more expensive than other 8-inch tablets.

It took a couple of days before my index finger ceased pressing a volume key when I intended to press a power key. But after that, I realized having a power button on the back makes it easier to use a big handset with one hand. The G2 has a 5.2-inch screen.

LG came up with a double-tap gesture to activate the phone. I found it easier and quicker than pressing a home button and then sliding to unlock as with my iPhone 4S. This double-tap to start also applies to the G Pad.

LG removed the physical home button on the front for the G2 and the G Pad. Instead, virtual buttons for back, home and menu actions appear when the screen is activated. I preferred these virtual buttons over physical ones because I could touch them with the same gesture and pressure I applied to the touchscreen. One downside of Samsung's Galaxy devices is that the touchscreen and the three buttons for home, back and menu options all need a different level of pressure to be activated.

LG's virtual buttons rotated with the screen when I tilted the G2 or the G Pad to a landscape mode. That made them easy to access when I watched a movie in the landscape mode with the G Pad. Removing the physical home button also gives the screen more space in the phone.

But the design elements that make the G2 and the G Pad different from rivals stopped there.

LG has packed the G2 with other features but many of them were no better than what is already available. For example, a feature called Task Slider allows multitasking by swiping the screen with three fingers to hide or reopen an application. But Android users are familiar with an extended press of the home button to bring up a list of applications in use, which is quick and more intuitive.

The G2 will be a great choice but only for people who don't mind re-learning how to use a smartphone. In the U.S., the G2 smartphone is available at $200 with a two-year contract or $600 without a contract from a carrier.

For people who are willing to pay a premium for the 8.3-inch tablet's full HD screen, the G Pad will also be a decent choice. While the U.S. price is yet to be announced, in South Korea the tablet is offered at 550,000 won ($515).

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Follow Youkyung Lee on Twitter: www.twitter.com/YKLeeAP

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Asia stocks ebb as US debt resolution awaited

BANGKOK — World stock markets ebbed in holiday-thinned trade Monday as investors waited for a resolution to the U.S. budget deadlock.

With the Oct. 17 deadline to increase the U.S. debt ceiling looming, Republican leaders have said they would vote to extend the government's borrowing authority for six weeks while a spokesman for President Barack Obama said he would "likely" sign a bill to increase the nation's ability to borrow money. But negotiations over the weekend did not reach a conclusion.

An agreement could also end the partial government shutdown that has idled about 350,000 Federal workers without pay for nearly two weeks.

Trading was muted in Asia, with markets in Tokyo and Hong Kong closed for holidays.

Outside of those major financial centers, China's Shanghai Composite Index rose 0.4 percent to 2,237.77 while South Korea's Kospi was off 0.2 percent at 2,020.27. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 shed 0.4 percent to 5,207.90. Markets in Taiwan and Southeast Asia were also down.

In early European trading, France's CAC-40 fell 0.2 percent to 4,208.96 and Germany's DAX lost 0.3 percent to 8,702.26. Britain's FTSE 100 was little changed at 6,489.81.

Wall Street rose for a second day Friday as investors bet lawmakers would reach agreement to raise the debt limit and prevent the U.S. from defaulting on its debt payments, a possibly that has upset markets since mid-September. U.S. government bonds are usually considered the world's safest investment, so even the possibility of a default is unnerving for investors.

But futures augured losses for U.S. shares on Monday. Dow futures were down 0.6 percent at 15,083 and S&P 500 futures retreated 0.7 percent to 1,687.80.

In energy markets, benchmark crude for November delivery was up 42 cents at $102.42 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract fell 99 cents to close at $102.02 on Friday.

The euro rose to $1.3563 from $1.3555 late Friday in New York. The dollar rose to 98.31 yen from 98.19 yen.

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