Corey William Schneider, Kogod/BSBA ’11, is paving the way for insider access to New York City’s best kept secrets. After graduating from AU, Corey moved to NYC and quickly grew tired of the combination of his monotonous corporate job and uneventful social calendar, which led him to an “early life crisis,” and a determination to change how he spent his time in NYC.

Corey made a self-pact to explore New York City every weekend. Whether it was visiting a historic location, eating at a hole-in-the-wall restaurant, or roaming around an unfamiliar neighborhood, Corey made sure his Monday morning watercooler recap didn’t include the phrases “I relaxed” or “I did nothing.” After two years of filling his free time with countless adventures, he began to understand why so many people call New York City “the greatest city in the world.” It was then that he knew he had to create the New York Adventure Club.

Corey knew that once others saw the countless amazing non-touristy things NYC had to offer, his friends and other NYC locals would jump on board. He started by booking private tours of interesting places once a week for one month. Wary that anyone would show, Corey wrote a historical article for the first tour on a local blog, hoping to get two or three people to sign up. Much to his surprise, he instantly had more than 100 strangers signed up to attend. The best part was that he found a community of other New Yorkers who shared a curiosity for the city and excitement about urban exploration. 

“Once New York Adventure Club unexpectedly gained traction, I realized that if this new endeavor could get off the ground, my career could be built around my passion and lead me to new opportunities later in life that I could only dream of,” he said. Corey loves that every day he gets the opportunity to meet, work with, and befriend the people and organizations that make NYC so great. Daily, Corey scouts NYC to find new and exciting opportunities to share with others. 

The New York Adventure Club has over 15,000 members and hosts around 15 events a week, resulting in about 300 unique events a year – the best part is it’s free to join! Corey is living out his dream, owning his own company, and loves that he gets to share his passion with the New York community. So next time you’re in NYC or a new city, take his advice and “Go explore. Each new experience will help you define where your interests really lie and lead you to discover what’s actually meaningful in your life.”