Where Is Museum Row? Not Where Jeopardy Thinks It Is.

UNIONDALE, NY — Local viewers of the game show "Jeopardy!" probably perked up last week when they say a clue directly reference Long Island. And they were probably disappointed when none of the show's contestants was able to answer correctly.

One Nassau County legislator has a theory as to why no one was able to answer the question: it was wrong. And it's part of an ongoing problem her community has been facing.

The clue in question is from the June 3, 2022 broadcast of "Jeopardy!" It was about Nassau County's Museum Row — the single street that houses the Cradle of Aviation, Long Island Children's Museum, Nassau County Firefighter's Museum and more. The clue asked contestants to identify the well-known Garden City area.

The problem is, Museum Row is in Uniondale, not Garden City.

Uniondale is one of the most diverse communities on Long Island. According to Census statistics, it is 40 percent Latino and 35 percent Black. In addition to Museum Row, it contains the Nassau Coliseum and the adjoining Marriott Hotel, as well as the Roosevelt Field Mall — one of the largest shopping centers in the country.

But over the years, many of Uniondale's landmarks have been whitewashed. Their addresses have been changed to neighboring Garden City (which is 89 percent white), or to the former area of East Garden City, which was dissolved and reincorporated into Uniondale in 2015. Opponents of East Garden City said it was a small area created to separate Uniondale from Garden City.

In response to the erroneous question, Nassau County Legislator Siela Bynoe, who represents Uniondale, wrote a letter to "Jeopardy!" executive producer Michael Davies.

"For many years, Uniondale community leaders have fought to ensure their hometown receives the full recognition that it deserves from government and media organizations," she wrote. "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."