Native New Yorker

[out_there]

Have come to a decision/realisation. My Danny is a native New Yorker.

See, this has always bugged me. That Danny says in the pilot that he's lived his entire life in New York, and yet Natalie refers to him being from Connecticut.

So, I'm thinking that Danny grew up in New York, and his parents moved after Sam. I think Sam was the youngest (theoretically, I think David's oldest, then Dan's sister, then Dan and then Sam) and that after Sam's death and Danny going to college, they didn't have any more kids at home. Plus, there's the whole moving away from bad memories, and I could just imagine most of Sam's stuff being in storage (up in the attic, or something).

So, I'm imagining Jacob and his wife living in a house in Connecticut, with at least one guest bedroom (maybe two... a three-bedroom house, probably).

Basically, Dan's grown up in New York, but his parents have lived in Connecticut since he was 17/18. (ie. the last decade). Dan went away for college (Dartmouth), then worked for a couple years, then spent a couple years in Dallas, and then came back to New York again. But, generally, he's spent a handful of years out of New York, and the rest in it.

I'm waiting to see if there's any logical fallacies in that theory. (Yes. This is what I'm thinking about instead of working. Don't wanna be here, so of course, today is *dragging*.)

Comments

[celli]

Don't forget LA. Casey tells JJ, "We've hosted shows in the fifth and second largest markets in the US," and Dana tells Casey he messed with her in Dallas and in LA.

...which has no bearing at all on your theory. *g* Which seems very sensible. I always thought his home in CT was close enough that he considered himself a New Yorker, but I like yours too.

[out-there.livejournal.com]

Don't forget LA. Casey tells JJ, "We've hosted shows in the fifth and second largest markets in the US," and Dana tells Casey he messed with her in Dallas and in LA.

...which has no bearing at all on your theory.

Not unless you're trying to convince me that Dan and Casey met in LA.

...well, Dan could have been there on a college vacation (spring break?) and... And, surprisingly enough, I have no plot bunnies for that. (Good plotbunnies. Stay away. I have too many wips as it is.)

I always thought his home in CT was close enough that he considered himself a New Yorker, but I like yours too.

How far away is CT from NYC? I have no idea. What's the travelling options/times...?

Since it's my Danny, his backstory is liable to change at the drop of a hat, but at the moment, I like it. I also like the idea that maybe part of Jacob's lack of enthusiasm was caused by travelling into the city for a while, not just that fact that he's a jackass of a father.

[celli]

...which has no bearing at all on your theory.

Not unless you're trying to convince me that Dan and Casey met in LA.

Nah. *g*

...well, Dan could have been there on a college vacation (spring break?) and... And, surprisingly enough, I have no plot bunnies for that. (Good plotbunnies. Stay away. I have too many wips as it is.)

*laughter*

I always thought his home in CT was close enough that he considered himself a New Yorker, but I like yours too.

How far away is CT from NYC? I have no idea. What's the travelling options/times...?

It's definitely commutable. Isaac lives in New Canaan, which is Connecticut. My friends who live in the city tell me CT is definitely a doable commute.

Since it's my Danny, his backstory is liable to change at the drop of a hat, but at the moment, I like it. I also like the idea that maybe part of Jacob's lack of enthusiasm was caused by travelling into the city for a while, not just that fact that he's a jackass of a father.

Hrm, makes sense.

[out-there.livejournal.com]

*laughter*

Yeah, you laugh now, but I have a lot of wips... like... three biggish SN ones, two misc SV ones (that may never be finished) a DCU one and... a QafUS one (which I'm avoiding like the plague).

Hrm, makes sense.

Well, I'm just thinking. I'm thinking of Danny going home and making sure he always stays in a motel. I'm thinking of Danny clearly thinking of it as the family house, or his parent's house, but never really thinking of it as *his*. I'm thinking of Danny caring a lot about his mom, but not really contacting her as often as he should...

I'm just stewing, and waiting for lunch to come.

[laylee.livejournal.com]

How far away is CT from NYC? I have no idea. What's the travelling options/times...?

CT isn't that far from New York. When I was doing research for one of my stories, I worked out that if Dan lived in New Haven (which is where I've based his parents) it's only about an hour and a half on the train and a little longer by car. A bit like the distance between Melbourne and Geelong or Ballarat. A lot of people commute to New York from CT every day. Isaac does and it wouldn't be outside the realms of possibility that Dan and his friends were going to New York on weekends and during school vacation when they were teenagers. I've always prefered the idea that Dan grew up in CT but spent a lot of time in New York.

[out-there.livejournal.com]

A bit like the distance between Melbourne and Geelong or Ballarat.

But I wouldn't live in Geelong and consider that I'd lived in Melbourne all my life. I considered that I lived in Geelong, and that I worked/studied/loved Melbourne.

Still, whatever floats your boat. I'm just thinking aloud to check if there's any obvious reasons why it wouldn't work, before it slots itself into fanfiction. (Because it will. You know it will. *g*)

[laylee.livejournal.com]

No, maybe not. But then again we are dealing with Aaron Sorkin's complete inability to give any of his characters some form of continuity in their back stories so it wouldn't have surprised me if Danny had one day announced that he'd spent hs entire childhood in Des Moines, which is in Iowa!

[out-there.livejournal.com]

But then again we are dealing with Aaron Sorkin's complete inability to give any of his characters some form of continuity in their back stories so it wouldn't have surprised me if Danny had one day announced that he'd spent his entire childhood in Des Moines, which is in Iowa!

Hee!

***

"You know," Casey said slowly, waiting for Dan to finish typing his sentence. "I heard a rumour that you grew up in Iowa."

Dan didn't even look up at him. "I did."

"You did?"

"I did."

Casey frowned in confusion. "I thought you grew up in New York?"

"I was born in Des Moines. We lived there for a couple years and then Dad convinced Mom to move East."

"How long did you live there?"

"Until I was..." Dan shrugged. "About thirteen."

"Thirteen," Casey repeated. "And then you moved to New York."

Dan shook his head. "No. Then we moved to Connecticut."

Casey watched Dan closely. "I thought you said you'd lived your entire life in New York?"

Dan rolled his eyes. "My entire *adult* life, Casey."

"Except for the years you spent at Dartmouth?"

"College doesn't count," Dan said breezily.

"And you're not counting the years in Dallas?"

Dan grinned. "I'm not counting Dallas."

Casey blinked, taking in the new information. "So, you're twenty-nine, and you've spent approximately five years actually living in New York?"

Dan sighed and nodded. "You can be so literal sometimes."

"I'm just saying, Danny," Casey said, leaning back in his chair. "Your claim to being a native New Yorker is pretty baseless." Casey ignored Dan's skeptical snort.

***

[laylee.livejournal.com]

Hehehehehe

[out-there.livejournal.com]

*G*

[laylee.livejournal.com]

(I'm rabbiting, forgive me)

Also, speaking as someone who grew up in a regional centre but travelled to Melbourne quite often from about 15, sometimes it feels like you actually live there, even if you need to take an hour and a half train ride to get there. Not unlike living in someplace like Hallam, which is a suburb of Melbourne but is just as great a distance from the CBD as Ballarat.

[out-there.livejournal.com]

(I'm rabbiting, forgive me)

Don't apologise. I'm just terminally procrastinating today. *g*

Also, speaking as someone who grew up in a regional centre but travelled to Melbourne quite often from about 15, sometimes it feels like you actually live there, even if you need to take an hour and a half train ride to get there. Not unlike living in someplace like Hallam, which is a suburb of Melbourne but is just as great a distance from the CBD as Ballarat.

Ah. See, when I lived in Geelong, I didn't feel like I lived in Melbourne, even though I came into the CBD every weeknight. *shrugs* I guess it's just a personal feelings thing...

[celli]

Well, and let's not forget Danny's tendency to make random sweeping statements, as noted in your snippet above. *giggle*

Dan: Are you saying I lie?
Celli: No.
Dan: Hmph.
Celli: Wait. Yes, I am.
Dan: Hey!

[out-there.livejournal.com]

Well, and let's not forget Danny's tendency to make random sweeping statements, as noted in your snippet above. *giggle*

*g*

Dan: Are you saying I lie?
Celli: No.
Dan: Hmph.
Celli: Wait. Yes, I am.
Dan: Hey!

*giggles*

I'm sure Dan would argue that you can't let the facts get in the way of a good story (or argument, as the case may be). If you let yourself get lost in the facts and figures, you lose your sense of drama. *g*

[ahab99.livejournal.com]

As someone who has lived in Connecticut, I can explain it. Western Connecticut, which includes Isaac's town of New Canaan as well as Greenwich, Stamford, and various other upper-class towns, are essentially suburbs of New York City (it's called Fairfield County). Though not everyone commutes, many many many people do and it's not very far. New Haven is not in that area and is farther away, although I suppose there may be people who do that commute. It would be a pretty heinous commute (longer than an hour and a half on the train alone) to do when there are plenty of living options closer, and everyone I know who is going to work in the City either moves into the City itself or one of the areas right outside it (which means Westchester or Long Island in New York state or Fairfield County).

Now, I know Sorkin likes to have a Jewish character from Connecticut, so I just assumed this was one of those weird situations where he writes something that is funny but makes no sense. No one I know who lives in Fairfield County would say they "live in New York." They are all very familiar with the City and spend a lot of time there, so having a renaissance would be totally possible. Also, as far as I can tell, almost all of them end up moving into the City after college.

Also, as a side note, many people who grow up in the City don't get their license. A lot of them will get it when they go away to college or move away for whatever reason. But it's standard to meet someone who is 25 or 30 and has never bothered to get their license because they've lived in the City their whole life. So the whole story about Sam makes me think that at that point they lived in Connecticut instead.

[flippet.livejournal.com]

I think Sam was the youngest (theoretically, I think David's oldest, then Dan's sister, then Dan and then Sam)

Dan doesn't have a sister. Yes, I know he mentioned one. But, like the Connecticut/New York thing, it's another of Sorkin's screw-ups that he never bothered to catch/correct. The line where Danny mentions a sister was actually supposed to belong to Jeremy, but it got shifted before shooting, and no one caught the error.

Great snippet, btw. You could add the sister into it too. "I had a sister in Connecticut. But by the time I moved to New York, she had inexplicably disappeared."

[out-there.livejournal.com]

I know about the Jeremy's line thing, but...

Well, if Danny said it on-air, I'm taking it as canon. I like the idea that he had two brothers and a sister.

Great snippet, btw. You could add the sister into it too. "I had a sister in Connecticut. But by the time I moved to New York, she had inexplicably disappeared."

Bwah! "I was sure I had one..."