Joe Torre on Moving West

This blog is a about moving east. Well, technically north, but I'm a west coaster by childhood. A lot of what I've been getting used to, Joe Torre, a native New Yorker moving to LA to coach the Dodgers, has been doing in reverse. In his third post, he talks about getting used to driving, which when I first read it I found funny until I realized I spent my first two months here marveling at life on foot.

His best observation about life on the left, though, is one about pocket dogs:

Here's an interesting tidbit about LA culture. It's not just a TV cliché: People really DO carry pocket dogs around with them wherever they go. I have no idea where you'd put these little yip-yaps when you go to the restroom, or even why they're such a hot accessory; then again, I just moved from a town where people buy color-coordinated pepper spray cans. But I do know it's a real phenomenon; I learned about it first-hand when I found myself walking down Rodeo Drive with this little white Maltese or Pomeranian named Butch under my arm. The funniest (or saddest) part was that I didn't look one bit out of place. Hey, if that's all it takes to fit into LA, I'm in--at least the white fur will match my uniform. Maybe I can get a gray one for my away games.

At least some things are the same in NYC and LA.