Itinerary: Totally Titanic

Despite the downer ending, the national zeitgeist embraced the Titanic story like no other in 1997-98. James Cameron’s epic film grossed more than $600 million domestically. The soundtrack floated atop of the pop chart for months. The musical cruised its way to five Tony Awards.

Now, at the end of the century, the Titanic is laden with metaphoric meaning: hubris, progress, disaster, class stratification. This weekend, take a look at the ship that launched a thousand works of art.

Friday

If you haven’t seen James Cameron’s three-hour “Titanic,” the crush for the video is basically over and you can rent it in peace.

If the memory of Cameron hollering, “I’m the king of the world!” at the Oscars makes your skin crawl, however, there are other options. National Geographic Video’s “Secrets of the Titanic” is a documentary focusing on the underwater expedition by Dr. Robert Ballard to the wreck site in 1986. A&E; issued a four-volume documentary on the history of the ship, also called “Titanic,” from its construction to interviews with survivors. Or, there’s the 1958 classic “A Night to Remember,” based on the account by Walter Lord.

Saturday

Don’t worry: There are no icebergs in Long Beach.

Step aboard the Queen Mary (1126 Queens Highway, Long Beach, [562] 435-3511), where “Titanic: The Expedition” displays actual artifacts recovered from the ship. There’s an eerie stillness to the items: champagne bottles still corked, letters never delivered, a telegraph bell silenced since April 15, 1912. Some of the objects have never before been displayed in the United States, and others are still encased in water to preserve them. There are also models of the ship, the wreck site and the devices used to explore the wreckage. Admission is $6.

A tour of the Queen Mary--built in the 1930s and actually larger than the Titanic was--might give some idea of what life was like aboard a luxury liner on a transatlantic voyage. Tours cost $13; $11, seniors; and $8 for children.

At the Los Angeles Maritime Museum (next to Ports o’ Call, foot of 6th Street, San Pedro. Open Tuesdays through Sundays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Free. [310] 548-7618), you can get a look inside the Titanic by way of a 16 1/2-foot cutaway model. Built over five years by Roberto Pirrone, who was only 15 when he started it, the incredibly detailed model is constructed entirely of painted cardboard and has been on display since the museum opened in 1980.

Also at the museum is Pirrone’s model of the Lusitania, sunk by a German U-boat in 1915. Pirrone, a Catholic priest in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, is now working on a model of the Normandie, a French ship that caught fire during World War II.

Sunday

On permanent display at the Carole and Barry Kaye Museum of Miniatures (5900 Wilshire Blvd. Open Sundays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Tuesdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. $7.50; $6.50 seniors; $5 students; $3 kids. [323] 937-6464) is Wayne Kusy’s 10-foot model of the Titanic, built from 75,000 toothpicks.

Then, on to the big event.

“Titanic” the musical opens Sunday at the Ahmanson Theatre (135 N. Grand Ave. $30 to $75. [213] 628-2772). Directed by Richard Jones from a book by Peter Stone and music and lyrics by Maury Yeston, “Titanic” won five Tony Awards last year. The critics weren’t quite as swept up by it: The Los Angeles Times and the New York Times found the characters stereotyped and the music unremarkable. The set got raves, however. It’s built in tiers to represent the decks of the ship and the corresponding social stratification.