When you travel as much as a typical SAS instructor, you get to be an expert on hotels, restaurants and entertainment. Anyone can figure out where to eat or what to do in downtown Chicago or in Manhattan, but it takes a dedicated traveler to show you where the action is in Bedminster, New Jersey. (Note: there is none).

For those of you attending a SAS course, there is a web page available for each of our training locations in the United States and Canada with information on how to get to the training center, where to stay, and for some locations, entertainment and dining options. (For locations outside the United States and Canada, see your local SAS web site).

Our most popular training location is at our World Headquarters in Cary, North Carolina. If you're scheduled to take a course in Cary, you may have a number of questions, including:

• Where is Cary?
• What language is spoken in Cary?
• Where should I stay?
• Where should I eat?
• What should I do after class?
• How much should I tip the instructor?
• Do SAS employees really get free M&Ms?

When I'm visiting a training location, I certainly appreciate the information that's available on the Training Center web site, but sometimes I need a little more information, particularly about where to eat and what to do. For those of you coming to Cary for a class, I'm going to devote the next few postings to answering the questions in the list above. So, let's get started:
Where is Cary?

Cary is adjacent to Raleigh, the capital of North Carolina, which may lead you to ask: where is Raleigh?, or for some of you, where is North Carolina?   Raleigh is in the east-central part of the state--you can check out the location of Raleigh and Cary in Google Maps. To find SAS, just enter "SAS Campus Drive, Cary, NC" in the Google Maps search box. To find out where North Carolina is, zoom way out.

If you are flying to Cary, you will fly into Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU), which is only about 5 miles from the SAS campus. When you land, the flight attendant will most likely announce "Welcome to Raleigh-Durham". At this point you should politely remind him/her that there is no such place as "Raleigh-Durham"--Raleigh and Durham are two separate cities (about 25 miles apart), and we are very sensitive about being lumped together, the name of the airport not withstanding. By the way, this does not apply to Winston-Salem, NC, which is in fact a single city.

What Language is Spoken in Cary?

It depends. Cary is often referred to as the "Containment Area for Relocated Yankees" (CARY), so in many places, you will feel comfortable speaking standard New York "Yankee" English. However, in many locations, you will encounter native North Carolinians, who speak Southern. The following table illustrates some differences:

Term	"Yankee" wording	Southern wording
You (singular)	You	You
You (several)	You guys	Y'all
You (many)	You guys	All y'all
Iced tea	Iced tea	Tea

How Much Should I Tip the Instructor?

We love our jobs so much we would gladly work for free. No tipping is necessary (or permitted).

Do SAS employees really get free M&Ms?

Yes, it's true! Not only that, you get free M&Ms when you come to Cary for training!

I hope I've given you enough information to begin preparations for your trip to Cary. I'll be providing more practical information (lodging, dining, entertainment) in the next few posts. If you have any questions about Cary or any of our training locations, feel free to comment below, or drop me an email at mike.kalt@sas.com

One more thing--after extensive deliberation, the Cary Town Council recently voted to begin rolling up the sidewalks at 10:00 PM on weeknights.