A common Long Island misconception is so prevalent that even Jeopardy! got it wrong.
In a clue given during the June 3 episode of the nationally-beloved television quiz show, Uniondale’s Museum Row was incorrectly stated as being located in Garden City.
“Type of institution that has a ‘row’ in Garden City on Long Island, including one about firefighting and a children’s one,” the clue read.
The correct response was, “What is a museum?” However, none of the contestants got it right. As it turns out, the clue itself had an error. Museum Row is located in Uniondale, not Garden City, as the Jeopardy! producers and even some Long Islanders may have thought.
Now, Nassau County Legislator Siela Bynoe (D-Westbury), whose legislative district includes Uniondale, wants to set the record straight. She has sent a letter to the show’s executive producer, Michael Davies, to inform him of the erroneous clue.
“For many years, Uniondale community leaders have fought to ensure their hometown receives the full recognition that it deserves from government and media organizations,” Bynoe wrote in the letter. “Guided by a shared desire ‘to make Uniondale whole,’ they and the hamlet’s elected officials engage in sustained advocacy to ensure regional attractions such as Museum Row are not erroneously attributed to neighboring communities.”
Though certain museums on the strip have Garden City mailing addresses, such as the Cradle of Aviation and the Long Island Children’s Museum, they fall inside the bounds of Uniondale on the official census map designating Long Island’s hamlets and municipalities.
The reason for some Uniondale museums and other entities bearing Garden City addresses is a bit complicated, but has to do with so-called East Garden City establishments choosing which mailing address they use, which has caused a bit of controversy over the years.
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