Geographically Challenged

I was born in Brooklyn and lived there, in several neighborhoods, until I went upstate to college.  The last 2 neighborhoods were both near Mill Basin at the SE end of Flatbush Avenue (see A below) and I could see water from almost any nearby street and most of the time when were were on the Belt Parkway which goes along the edge of Brooklyn.   My cousins lived in Cedarhurst (near Lawrence) on Long Island.

The other day Jim made a statement about Brooklyn, Queens and Long Island.  He said they were on the same landmass.  I adamantly said absolutely not because whenever we went to visit my cousins we went over at least one bridge meaning the Island was separate from Brooklyn.  I remember folks in boats floating and motoring by as we drove over them.

We then got out a map and I got egg cream on my face.

At Knit Knite last week, I related this story to the group.  Ruth, who grew up on the Island, responded like me in exactly the same words.
Carole got out her iPhone and looked up a Brooklyn map.  Sure enough the same result appeared.

Brooklyn, Queens and LI are on the same landmass!!!!  Yes, we did go over bridges as I can see there must be lots of them along the shoreline where streams come into the land from the bay and ocean. Sheesh.  How did I grow up in such ignorance and only now find this out?