The Titanic Exhibit
The Titanic Exhibit is in Los Angeles and will be here through September 1. It includes re-creations of the boiler room, the grand staircase and many artifacts brought up from the ocean floor. The Titanic was built from 2,000 plates of 1 inch thick steel and was held together by more then 3 million rivets.  The exhibit also includes re-creations of  first class and third class accommodations.
In LA it is at the California Science Center located in Exhibition Park which includes the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Natural History Museum and the Science Center. The Coliseum was opened in 1923 and the first football game was in October between the University of Southern California and Pomona College. It has been host to two Olympiads.
Inside the science center is a model of the Titanic and some other displays that are not in the exhibit itself. The science center is one of the newer type science centers that have become the fad, with all hands-on-exhibits so you can play. We didn't have time to go though the science center as we had timed tickets for the exhibit and the Omni Max film of the Titanic.
This is the re-creation of the Grand Staircase on the Titanic. Since they have the blueprints for the ship this could be created with great detail. Shhhhh you weren't supposed to take pictures so don't tell anybody. The entire exhibit is very well done and very thought provoking. In one room they have a large chuck of ice for you to put your hands on and imagine falling into water that cold.
They give each person a boarding pass. Each pass lists a different person's name and tells you a bit about him/her. Near the end you can look at a list on a wall to see what your passenger's fate was. Mine was a third class passenger and didn't make it. In one room at the end they have a very large piece of the hull that was brought up from the ocean floor. There are also smaller pieces of steel you can touch. The grain structure and composition of the steel is changing from the intense pressure and cold at the bottom of the Atlantic. You can see where it is changing to layers of sheet that are starting to peel away. The Imax Movie on the Titanic is also worth watching. In fact if you have children they recommend they see that first so they have some idea of the significance of the displays.