In memoriam: 6 iconic tourist attractions we lost in 2015

Like the faces of the screen legends that grace the tribute portion of the Academy Awards, in traveling the world, we also lose iconic restaurants, cultural institutions, hotels and oddities to the winds of change. Here are 6 tourist attractions we lost in 2016:

Also: The five hottest hotel openings of 2016

Paris Love Locks

Love Locks: Paris, France
They were perhaps the sweetest love letters of all time, locks that were affixed to the Pont des Arts in Paris as a hat tip to undying devotion, the key naturally thrown into the river below. But fearing that the bridge would ultimately suffer under the weight of 45 tons of padlocks, Parisian officials had city workers remove them in June and replaced them with plexiglass plates in order to preserve the original iron grill work. Like many of the relationships the locks had come to celebrate, they are alas no more.

Photo: Emile Wamsteker

Mamma Mia!: New York, NY
You can dance, you can jive and you can have the time of your life, but you can no longer do it at the Winter Garden Theatre in Midtown Manhattan, which has been the home for the last 14 years to the smash musical sensation Mamma Mia! Set to the iconic music of ABBA, Mamma Mia! told the story of a young woman who seeks to find her biological father and was turned into a movie starring Meryl Streep, but after 5,773 performances, it ended its record-breaking run on September 12.

Ed Debevic’s: Chicago, IL
The world needs more apartment towers, right? That’s the reason that 1950s-style diner Ed Debevic’s, a long-running Windy City tourist attraction known for its snarky servers, shuttered its door in October. As the old location is demolished to make way for a new housing development, the diner’s owners are seeking a new space and promise a return in 2016. We’re sure going to miss this wisecracking waiters (whose famous alumni includes David Schwimmer), not to mention the yummy milkshakes.

Seattle Gum Wall

The Gum Wall: Seattle, WA
Some losses are hard because they’re created by and for visitors and that’s exactly the case with the Seattle “gum wall,” which stood for 20 years in Pike Place Market, but was scraped and cleaned mid-November in an effort to preserve the historic buildings in the area. Of course, tourists immediately began putting new gum on the wall, including a peace sign shaped like the Eiffel Tower as part of an effort to pay tribute to the city which suffered terrorist attacks the previous Friday.

Related: 7 things you didn’t know about Pike Place Market

Photo: Bob Brye/Las Vegas News Bureau

Riviera Hotel and Casino: Las Vegas, NV
Vegas is all about luck and for one 60-year-old icon on the Strip, it ran out this year. The Riviera Hotel and Casino, a Sin City legend that opened in 1955 and hosted the likes of Elvis Presley, Dean Martin, Marlene Dietrich and Barbra Streisand during its six decade reign, closed its doors permanently in May joining the Sands Hotel, the Sahara and others that couldn’t withstand the changing times. Lets hope any iconic signage will make its way to the boneyard at the Neon Museum.

Photo: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

F.A.O. Schwartz: New York, NY
Can anyone afford Manhattan real estate anymore? Apparently not the iconic toy store which delighted children and was a Fifth Avenue staple for almost 30 years. The store which was famously featured in the movie Big (among others) is seeking a new location, but if affordability is an issue, we’re not exactly sure the 150-year-old retailer, which is owned by Toys ‘R’ Us, will be back in Manhattan anytime soon.

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Tagged: Europe, Las Vegas, New York