Author: openjargon

• Culdesac Tempe is a car-free neighborhood offering apartments and amenities near Phoenix.
• Residents use walking, biking, and public transit with a complimentary mobility package.
• Phoenix plans to expand its public transportation, making car-free living more feasible.

I'm 28 years old and still don't have my driver's license. Frankly, cars scare me, and getting behind the wheel is a responsibility I still can't confidently accept.

Luckily, I live in NYC, where a car-free lifestyle is attainable. There are plenty of ways to get around without a license, from efficient public transportation systems to walkable neighborhoods and ride-share apps.

But I don't want to live in the Big Apple forever. For years, I've dreaded learning to drive before eventually moving elsewhere in the US.

The anxiety ate away at me until a recent trip to Arizona, where I visited a car-free neighborhood in Tempe called Culdesac.

A walkable neighborhood in a city suburb

Culdesac opened in 2023 and currently has 172 units and 200 residents, a company representative told Business Insider.

The 17-acre block 10 miles from Phoenix has shaded courtyards, apartments, a restaurant, and amenities, including a two-story fitness center, oversize games, and a weekly night market with vendors.

Culdesac also has 11 micro-retailers on-site, including a market, a laundromat, a medical spa, an art studio, a plant shop, and a thrift store.

Getting around without a car

Culdesac has visitor parking, but residents are not allowed to park a car within 0.25 miles of the block.

Some residents, like Culdesac CEO and cofounder Ryan Johnson, don't even own a car.

Others, like 24-year-old Brad Biehl, who moved in earlier this year, park their vehicles elsewhere in Tempe.

"It's a road trip machine because I never use it to get around town," Biehl said of his car. "Walking is pretty much my primary mode of transportation, biking is a secondary mode, and public transit is the third mode."

Biehl expressed that while the block is walkable, surrounding streets are not. Another Culdesac resident previously told BI that this can make living without a car difficult.

But Culdesac makes navigating streets built for cars a little easier. Residents get a mobility package worth almost $3,000 a year, including a Valley Metro pass for public transportation and discounted rides with apps like Lyft and the self-driving taxi service Waymo, according to the company's website.

Culdesac has a stop on the Valley Metro's light-rail system that connects Phoenix, Mesa, and Tempe. The block also has on-site Bird Scooters, 1,000 bike parking spots, and car rental services by day.

Biehl said weekly errands like grocery shopping are easy to do with the mobility package.

"Every other week, I go to a big grocery store, either by a ride share or, if I have the time, I walk," Biehl said. "Then I walk or bike to Trader Joe's for smaller things each week."

Biehl said stores like Sprouts, Fry's, Safeway, Trader Joe's, and Target are easily accessible by bike, light rail, or a roughly 30-minute walk.

A car-free future

With plans to eventually have 1,000 residents, 760 units, and more local shops, Culdesac is still growing — and so is the area's public transportation system.

BI previously reported that Phoenix plans to expand the light-rail system, bus services, bike lanes, and crosswalks by 2050, making it easier for Culdesac residents to get to and around the state capital.

Visiting Culdesac and learning about the area's public transportation systems made me realize that a car-free lifestyle in the US is possible outside mega-cities like New York.

Perhaps if I move to this Arizona neighborhood, I may never have to get my driver's license.

• Rep. Lauren Boebert's son, Tyler Boebert, has hired an attorney for his Colorado criminal case.
• The teen previously told a judge he was having trouble affording a lawyer. 
• Tyler Boebert faces multiples charges in connection to car break-ins and thefts in Colorado. 

Lauren Boebert's teenage son, Tyler Boebert, has finally hired an attorney for his Colorado criminal theft case after months without any representation.

Dressed in a dark-colored suit and tie, the 18-year-old son of the high-profile Republican congresswoman appeared in the Garfield County Courthouse Thursday with his newly hired attorney, William Trent Palmer.

Tyler Boebert had been without an attorney during his last two court appearances, first telling the judge that he was having trouble affording a lawyer.

The teen informed Ninth Judicial District Judge John Neiley during an April 11 appearance, "We are working to hire an attorney, but it's just been kind of hard with the prices, but we are working on it."

At an appearance on May 9, he told Neiley that he only sent in the paperwork to sign up for a public defender days earlier, drawing disappointment from the judge.

"I wish you'd turned in that application a little sooner," Neiley told Tyler Boebert at the time.

But Tyler Boebert did not go with a public defender, after all.

Palmer runs his own private practice based in Carbondale, Colorado.

On Thursday, Palmer asked the judge to continue Boebert's case until July 25.

The judge checked with Boebert if that date worked for him and the teenager confirmed it did.

"We're going to continue the case then so that you and Mr. Palmer can have some discussions and then continued discussions with the DA as well," Neiley said.

Palmer did not immediately respond to a request for comment by Business Insider on Thursday.

The courthouse clerk told BI that Palmer officially entered his appearance into Tyler Boebert's case on May 26.

Public records show Palmer works at the law firm WTP LAW.

"Through experience, WTP | LAW has developed adept strategies to defend even the most serious allegations, including drugs and weapons charges, burglary and theft, domestic violence related offenses, and others," the firm's website says.

Boebert was arrested by the Rifle Police Department in February in connection to a string of car break-ins and property thefts in Rifle, Colorado. He faces more than a dozen charges, including several felony charges for criminal possession of ID documents.

According to an arrest affidavit, the teen is one of four people accused of breaking into four cars in the city of Rifle, Colorado, and stealing wallets to make purchases at businesses including McDonald's, Starbucks, and gas stations.

At the time of his arrest, Lauren Boebert said in a statement to BI that her son should be "held accountable for poor decisions just like any other citizen."

The congresswoman has not shown up for her son's court appearances, but she did support former President Donald Trump at his recent criminal hush-money trial in New York City.

• While working on an Army base in Vicenza, Italy, I got to visit many of the country's hot spots.
• I'd love to return to places like Vicenza, Verona, Florence, and Cinque Terre.
• However, I'm not in a rush to return to Venice or Pisa.

While working on the US Army base in Vicenza, Italy, I had the unique opportunity to visit many of the country's most popular destinations.

After getting a real taste of Italy's varied landscapes and experiences — from swimming in the Blue Grotto to hiking through Cinque Terra — I'm not surprised that Italy is such a popular travel destination. In fact, the country saw record tourism numbers in 2023.

Still, Italy has 20 regions and many cities to explore. To help you narrow down your options when planning your dream trip, here are the four places I'd return to and the two I'd skip next time.

Vicenza is a charming city with delicious local cuisine.

Because Vicenza was my home base during my time in Italy, I had lots of opportunities to explore the city's offerings. I often found musicians playing their cellos outside and charming cafés where I'd sip a cappuccino.

I loved stopping by one of my favorite restaurants, Regina's, for delicious and authentic Italian cuisine at affordable prices.

I would definitely return to Vicenza again for the great food, warm, welcoming people, and charming atmosphere.

Verona has a lively arts scene.

Verona is home to a gorgeous outdoor opera house called Arena di Verona. Here, patrons can enjoy Italian vocalists, symphonic music, and ballet.

The city is also known as the setting for Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet." While in Verona, I loved visiting a popular tourist attraction called Casa di Giulietta (Juliet's House), which celebrates Shakespeare's fictional character, Juliet Capulet.

There are lots of things to do in Florence.

Florence is best known for Michelangelo's "David," which is located in the Accademia Gallery of Florence. Although I'd seen pictures of this iconic sculpture over the years, it was breathtaking to see in person.

The cathedrals in Florence are gorgeous, but if you'd like to visit, be mindful of the dress code. For example, bare legs and shoulders, sandals, hats, and sunglasses are not permitted inside Santa Maria del Fiore.

Cinque Terre is the perfect place for hiking and swimming.

Cinque Terre is a string of five small seaside villages in northwest Italy. The area has 48 different hiking trails connecting the five villages.

In addition to hiking, the coastline is a perfect place for swimming and enjoying the area's popular beaches.

For these reasons and more, Cinque Terre is a spot I'd definitely like to return to.

Venice is a gorgeous city, but I probably wouldn't go back.

Known for its gondola rides and iconic waterways, Venice is undoubtedly a beautiful city. However, I found it to be overpriced and overcrowded.

In fact, in an effort to combat over-tourism, the city recently imposed an entrance fee of 5 euros ($5.40) for some day-trippers traveling to Venice at certain parts of the year.

Next time I'm in Italy, I'd rather explore new places or visit some of my favorite cities again.

Next time I visit Italy, I'll skip Pisa.

Pisa is a quaint city best known for its beautiful leaning tower, which can get crowded with tourists.

However, aside from viewing the tower, I found there wasn't much else to do. For that reason, I probably wouldn't go back to Pisa.

• Walmart's 4,600 US stores are supported by a network of 42 regional distribution centers.
• Of those 42, there's "some level of automation" at 15 of them, CFO John David Rainey said.
• When a DC is automated, Rainey said it sees as much as a 4X leap in efficiency.

Walmart's store fleet is staggeringly huge, and the operation to support it is similarly massive.

The retailer's 4,600 stores are supported by a network of 42 regional distribution centers — sprawling warehouses of up to 1.5 million square feet that typically employ around 1,000 workers, according to logistics consultancy MWPVL.

Of those 42 DCs, Walmart CFO John David Rainey said the company has 15 that now have "some level of automation," serving about 1,700 stores.

Speaking at the Evercore ISI Consumer and Retail Conference on Wednesday, Rainey revealed an utterly bonkers statistic when one of these facilities is fully dialed up.

"When we automate one of these DCs, we see roughly twice the throughput with half the head count. And so, the math on this is very, very compelling," he said.

Twice as much stuff with half as many staff is a fourfold increase in efficiency — compelling math indeed.

And more revenue per employee translates to higher profit margins.

"They're planning to add $130 billion of sales over the next five years on a flat head count," Jefferies analyst Corey Tarlowe told Business Insider. "AI and automation are going to be absolutely critical to their evolution."

As Walmart's distribution center and fulfillment center capacity increases, it's starting to exceed the inventory Walmart actually owns, Rainey said.

"It gives us the opportunity to use that space for our third-party providers," the CFO said. "A very exciting part of what's changed in our business over the recent quarters is the number of 3P sellers that are availing themselves of Walmart fulfillment services."

A day earlier, at Oppenheimer's e-commerce conference, Walmart US CEO John Furner indicated how these lower costs feed into an e-commerce flywheel that is gaining momentum for the company.

"The cost of picking is coming down, the density of last-mile delivery has improved, so therefore, the cost per unit continues to fall," Furner said. "You put all that together, and we see a much better path than what we saw a few years ago."

• Some student-loan borrowers enrolled in the SAVE plan will get lower payments in July.
• In the meantime, some of them are being placed on forbearance as the Education Department calculates new payments.
• Payments will be paused and interest will not accrue for impacted borrowers during this period.

Some student-loan borrowers are set to get cheaper bills next month — but the Education Department is still working on those new calculations.

Last summer, President Joe Biden's Education Department launched the SAVE plan — a new student-loan repayment plan intended to make payments more affordable for borrowers with a shorter timeline to loan forgiveness than prior income-driven repayment plans.

The department already started rolling out some of SAVE's provisions ahead of schedule, including loan forgiveness for borrowers with original balances of $12,000 or less who made as few as 10 years of qualifying payments. Beginning in July, a host of new provisions are expected to be implemented.

One of those provisions will allow borrowers with undergraduate student loans to have their payments capped at 5% of their discretionary income, which is down from the current 10% cap.

However, as The New York Times first reported, the Education Department is still working through those new calculations and is placing impacted borrowers on administrative forbearance — during which they are not required to make payments and interest will not accrue — as it works toward implementing this new part of SAVE.

Education Department spokesperson Vanessa Harmoush confirmed the forbearances, telling Business Insider that as the department finalizes the new SAVE payments, "some borrowers may be placed in a brief processing forbearance to ensure they can access the full benefits of the SAVE Plan and that their new payment amounts are accurate."

"While borrowers are in this specific forbearance, no payment is required, their interest rate will be set to 0%, and they will receive credit toward IDR forgiveness and Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF)," she said.

A department spokesperson added that the department "has already sent servicers the information they need for hundreds of thousands of borrowers, some of which should see updated billing statements for July," and that 4.6 million borrowers who have $0 payments under SAVE will not need to enter forbearance.

Given that borrowers typically receive bills for their student-loan payments a few weeks before the due date, this forbearance period will ensure that borrowers do not make a larger payment than necessary before the Education Department has time to calculate the new amounts.

Aside from SAVE's implementation, the student-loan servicing industry is undergoing a series of changes that are impacting borrowers' user experience. For example, the Education Department is transitioning the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program away from servicer MOHELA and is instead splitting up PSLF accounts among other servicers to be overseen by Federal Student Aid.

The Education Department is also working toward implementing its new student-loan forgiveness plan after the Supreme Court struck the first one down last summer, and it is continuing to carry out its one-time account adjustments for borrowers on PSLF and income-driven repayment plans, expected to be completed in September.

• Season four of "The Boys" features the return of the octopus named Ambrosius, voiced by an A-lister.
• Star Chace Crawford told Business Insider that he had "no idea" who would be voicing the sea creature. 
• Showrunner Eric Kripke said he specifically wanted "the most British, Oscar-winningest, classiest actor."

Warning: Major spoilers ahead for season four of "The Boys."

"The Boys" star Chace Crawford never knows what kinds of antics his character, The Deep, will be involved in — but having an octopus lover voiced by Tilda Swinton certainly wasn't on his bingo card for season four.

"I kind of take it as I open the scripts, right?" Crawford told Business Insider in a recent interview ahead of the season four premiere on Thursday. "I had no idea that it was going to be Tilda Swinton."

Last season, The Deep encountered a female octopus named Ambrosius while attending Herogasm. The supe, who can breathe underwater and communicate with sea creatures, ended up taking the octopus home with him and continuing to have sexual relations with her — to the disgust of his wife, Cassandra (Katy Breier).

The season four premiere of "The Boys," released Thursday on Prime Video, reveals that The Deep is now divorced and dealing with allegations from Cassandra's biography, "In 2 Deep: My Journey 2 Freedom."

In an interview, The Deep denies having sexual relations with an octopus, and he later tells Vought employee Ashley Barrett (Colby Minifie) that the sea creature has been "taken care of."

But instead of getting rid of Ambrosius, The Deep stashes her away in a tank in his closet, carrying out a secret relationship with her.

"Once we decided that The Deep and Ambrosius were going to have this intense affair and we were going to be able to hear her, we just were like, we need the most British, Oscar-winningest, classiest actor we can possibly find for that part," showrunner Eric Kripke told BI. "There's four of them in the world, and Tilda Swinton is one of them."

"The Boys" team didn't have a personal connection to the Academy Award winner but reached out to her reps, and she was game to voice the eight-armed sea creature.

"She came into the booth for one long session, and I was there, and it was really a pinch-me moment watching this world-class, highest caliber actress say the most ridiculous shit as Ambrosius," Kripke said.

After four seasons of playing The Deep, Crawford said that he's still impressed by the creativity and attention to detail the show's VFX team puts into crafting its creatures.

"I'm always doing little things like in the air, pushing off tentacles and stuff, and then to see them add that in and make it come to life…" Crawford said as Kripke chimed in to point out that Ambrosius also has a tiny figurine of The Deep in her tank to keep her entertained.

"The guys are brilliant. And even the Timothy thing, I had no idea what that was going to be and they make it look so good," Crawford said, referencing The Deep's other octopus companion from season three. "So, it's always fun for me to see what's next."

The first three episodes of season four of "The Boys" are now streaming on Prime Video, followed by a new episode each week, ending with the season finale on July 18.

• This post originally appeared in the Insider Today newsletter.
• You can sign up for Business Insider's daily newsletter here.

Hey there! It's always sunny at Business Insider when "Welcome to Wrexham" star Rob McElhenney is around. Check out our cover story on the actor-turned-entrepreneur.

In today's big story, we're looking at the drama between Tesla shareholders over Elon Musk's bumper pay package that gets decided on today.

What's on deck:

• Markets: Blackstone's growing its NYC HQ.
• Tech: Inside the downfall of Tesla rival Fisker.
• Business: Remember travel agents? They're so back.

But first, pay that man his money.

If this was forwarded to you, sign up here.

The big story

Show Elon the money

One of the world's richest men is fighting over how much he gets paid.

As funny as that sounds, the battle over Elon Musk's pay package is no joke.

Tesla's annual shareholder meeting this afternoon will announce the result of the investor vote on Musk's compensation plan (which was once valued at around $55 billion), but Musk is already claiming an early victory. Business Insider's Grace Kay has the full rundown on what's at stake and how it could play out.

On one side sits large investment firms that feel the package is a tad too rich for their blood. They also point to Musk's chummy relationship with some Tesla board members (like his brother) for why the package shouldn't get approved.

And they're not alone. A Delaware judge voided the plan in January, deeming it an "unfair price."

On the other side are Musk fans, of which there are many. Retail investors hold roughly 44% of Tesla's shares, the highest mark among the 10 largest companies in the S&P 500.

From their perspective, the pitch is simple: Trust in Musk. The billionaire is a lightning rod for controversy, but he's turned Tesla's stock into a rocket ship — 2024 aside — making them rich. And for many shareholders, that's all that matters.

The lead-up to today's results hasn't been pretty.

Earlier this year, Musk gave investors an ultimatum. Meet his comp demands, or he'll prefer to build AI and robotics products "outside of Tesla."

Plenty scoffed at the idea he'd take his ball and go home, leaving Tesla high and dry. But Tesla's board chair hinted it's not an empty threat.

To that point, Musk recently diverted a $500 million shipment of Nvidia chips from Tesla to X. Musk, for his part, said the chips were rerouted because Tesla didn't have space for them.

The episode points to a common criticism of Musk: He has too many jobs. One longtime Tesla investor said the EV maker is "kind of the bottom of the pecking pole of Elon's companies."

Musk has spun that to his advantage, suggesting his business empire is a "Muskonomy" that Tesla benefits from being a part of.

But that empire came with some negative press this week. An extensive report from The Wall Street Journal made claims about Musk's interactions with female SpaceX employees, including an accusation of asking a direct report to have his babies.

SpaceX's chief operating officer, Gwynne Shotwell, said in a statement to the Journal: "The untruths, mischaracterizations, and revisionist history in your email paint a completely misleading narrative."

As for Tesla, plenty view Musk as too intertwined with the company not to meet his demands. Tesla's board chair said while the EV maker could exist without him, it needs him right now.

But a billionaire investor who backs the pay package was more direct: Without Musk, there is "no Tesla."

What do you think? Vote here on if you're for or against Musk's pay package.

3 things in markets

1. Still no interest rate cuts, but there are some signs of hope. The Federal Reserve continued its pause of interest-rate hikes. But despite a cool May inflation report, the central bank has only penciled in one rate cut this year.
2. Blackstone stretches out in the Big Apple. The private-equity giant is finalizing a deal to expand its Manhattan headquarters by 30%. The extra space will be well used, as the firm has grown its headcount by roughly 50% in recent years.
3. The race to be the world's most valuable company is back on. Apple briefly passed Microsoft in market valuation terms on Wednesday as investor reaction to its WWDC event powered its shares higher. The two tech giants and AI darling Nvidia are now competing to become the first-ever $4 trillion company, Wedbush analyst Dan Ives said in a research note.

3 things in tech

1. Henrik Fisker's second automotive startup is on the brink of bankruptcy. Fisker was pitched as a Tesla rival, but workers say mismanagement and cutting corners led to compounding problems. BI spoke with 27 former and current staff who charted the startup's downfall.
2. Some investors backing venture firms are reneging on their deals. An increasing number of LPs like pension funds and family offices are defaulting on their positions with VCs they pledged to fund. And that's created an opportunity for one VC to buy up their stakes.
3. Meta's upper ranks are feeling the heat. The social media giant is looking to whittle down its hundreds of vice presidents, three people with knowledge of the company told BI, as CEO Mark Zuckerberg seeks to streamline reporting structures.

3 things in business

1. Travel agents are back. Gen Zers and millennials are traveling more than other generations, but they don't want to plan the trips themselves. Instead, they're turning to travel agents, and reviving the old-school industry.
2. Game over for Netflix's video game boss. The streaming giant just can't figure out what to do with video games, which might be why its leader Mike Verdu is moving on after three years at the helm. Details around his departure are murky, and it's unclear who will succeed him.
3. Adobe staff hit back. The software company upset many artists and designers recently by implying it would use their content to train AI models. While it sought to quell their concerns in a blog post, some of its workers have taken to Slack to complain about Adobe's poor response to the controversy and demand a better long-term communication plan.

In other news

• Trump wants to make tipping more annoying for everyone.
• Artists are terrified Instagram is stealing their work. They're turning to hot platform Cara — but it's not a perfect solution.
• Elon Musk's legal problems: A list of all the biggest cases and investigations on the billionaire's docket.
• Starbucks is copying the fast-food value playbook with its new $5 and $6 breakfast combos.
• These are the best airlines right now, according to The Points Guy.
• You can get a great deal on an EV right now — if you know where to look.
• Joey Chestnut was kicked out of Nathan's eating contest after he endorsed plant-based hot dogs.
• Sorry, Android users. Green text bubbles aren't going away anytime soon.
• Larry Page's flying car company Pivotal loses a top executive.

What's happening today

• Tesla is hosting its annual stockholder meeting.
• Microsoft President Brad Smith will testify on the company's "cybersecurity shortfalls."

The Insider Today team: Dan DeFrancesco, deputy editor and anchor, in New York. Jordan Parker Erb, editor, in New York. Hallam Bullock, senior editor, in London. George Glover, reporter, in London.

• Israeli soldiers used a trebuchet to throw incendiaries near the Lebanese border, a video appears to show.
• The Israeli military stated this was a local initiative, not a widespread tool, per local reporting.
• The move could be aimed at clearing dense vegetation hiding enemies amid ongoing border hostilities.

An unusual video apparently depicting Israeli soldiers launching fireballs near the Lebanese border using a trebuchet, a siege weapon used to attack castles and fortifications in ages past, began circulating on social media Thursday.

The Israeli military said in a statement on KAN News that the trebuchet was used as part of a "local initiative" and that it is "not a tool that has come into widespread use."

"The area on the Lebanese border is characterized by boulders, thickets, and dense thorn vegetation, which poses a challenge to the IDF forces deployed in defense," the statement said.

The trebuchet, a weapon used as early as the fourth century BC, is known for its use of a counterweight, unlike catapults that rely on tension, to fling heavy projectiles out to great distances, but since the invention of gunpowder, its use has become less common.

Other posts show a soldier firing a flaming arrow with a bow near the border with Lebanon. Business Insider has been unable to independently confirm the details of the footage, including when the videos were filmed.

Media outlets have speculated that the trebuchet's fiery ammunition was meant to burn down heavy foliage covering parts of Lebanon near the border as a way of exposing threats from Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militia group.

Since hostilities were reignited at the border of Israel and Lebanon in October 2023, the Israeli military has also used drones and white phosphorus munitions in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah, on the other hand, has been firing continuous barrages of rockets and other munitions toward northern Israel.

There are concerns that both Israel and Lebanon are at risk of experiencing wildfires due to the exchange of fire at the border and the use of incendiary weapons.

HBO is betting on "House of the Dragon" season two's success. The network just renewed the "Game of Thrones" prequel for another season ahead of Sunday's premiere.

Francesca Orsi, HBO's head of drama, praised the team behind the hit fantasy series in the renewal announcement.

"George, Ryan, and the rest of our incredible executive producers, cast, and crew, have reached new heights with the phenomenal second season of 'House of the Dragon,'" Orsi said in a press release. "We are in awe of the dragon-sized effort the entire team has put into the creation of a spectacular season two, with a scope and scale that is only rivaled by its heart."

"We could not be more thrilled to continue the story of House Targaryen and watch this team burn bright again for season three," she added.

This is a developing story. Check back for additional details.

• Dairy Queen's Blizzard is made with thick, soft serve and a range of customizable mix-ins
• As of June, I've had 29 Blizzards from the menu, including seasonal and limited-edition flavors.
• I've ranked the Blizzards from worst to best, and the best is still the seasonal s'mores.

Dairy Queen is one of Warren Buffett's most famous businesses — he bought it in 1997 — and it's worth millions. 

The chain hit record sales in 2021 and is still considered one of the leading dessert and snack chains in the US. But at the core of its success might be one of its signature desserts: The Blizzard, a frozen treat blended with all sorts of mix-ins.

Blizzard flavors come and go, and I'm always hunting for the best one. So, since August 2020, I've been eating and ranking every Dairy Queen Blizzard I could get my hands on. 

Here's how the Blizzards I've tried so far stack up, ranked from my least favorite to my favorite. 

Editor's Note: This list includes limited-edition and seasonal flavors that don't always return. Check the menu at your nearest location before trying to order any of the options below.

Cotton-candy Blizzard

The first problem with this seasonal Blizzard was the texture. It had these chewy, colorful bits of sugar that felt a bit off — like they weren't supposed to be in there, and a child added them in at the last minute. 

But the unbearable sweetness of this Blizzard is what earned it a spot at the bottom of my list. This dessert just tasted like pure sugar and my teeth still hurt thinking about it.

I could picture younger kids absolutely loving this, but I can't see myself ordering this one again.

M&M Blizzard

Many people picture M&Ms when they think of a classic ice-cream mix-in. That symphony of crunchy, chocolaty bits with smooth, creamy ice cream is a kid's kryptonite on a summer afternoon.

My M&M Blizzard came exactly as expected — with the bite-sized candies slightly crushed and evenly dispersed throughout the vanilla. It was a simple yet satisfying option.

But this Blizzard was pretty underwhelming, especially when compared to the other ones on the menu. I think it could've benefited from the addition of a brownie to make the chocolate flavor of the candies stand out more. 

Royal Rocky Road Trip Blizzard

Full disclosure: I don't care much for rocky-road ice cream, so I knew I wasn't going to be wild about this one from the start. 

Like rocky-road ice cream, this Blizzard contains all of the essential flavors: chocolate, peanuts, and marshmallow. This dessert has a single marshmallow core in the center of the cup with the ice cream around it and it comes with brownie chunks to offset the strong vanilla flavors.

I can see this being a dream for anyone who loves marshmallows, but I felt that the core overpowered the rest of the Blizzard. At one point, I thought the peanuts were missing, but they'd really just collected at the very bottom of the cup, which made every bite pretty inconsistent.

Very Cherry Chip Blizzard

This Blizzard absolutely lives up to its name. To me, it tasted exactly like a cherry slushie.

It's very, very sweet, but I didn't find that totally offputting. The bits of cherry in this offered a nice pop of tart flavor that made my lips pucker. My order also contained plenty of tasty chocolate chunks, which cut through some of that intense fruity sweetness.

I believe this Blizzard will appeal to a lot of people (Shirley Temple fans, looking at you), but it was too sweet for me to find it enjoyable beyond a few bites.

If I wanted a fruit-forward Blizzard, I'd go with the Raspberry Fudge Bliss.

Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Party Blizzard

I'm still so confused about what the Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Party was supposed to be.

I thought it would have chunks of peanut-butter cookie dough, but it actually contained chocolate-chip cookie dough. Peanut-butter topping was swirled into DQ's signature vanilla soft serve and — even more confusing — it had a crunchy peanut-brittle topping and sprinkles, which, for me, just added an awkward crunchiness.

Still, it wasn't bad. The sauce was blended so seamlessly into the vanilla soft serve that it tasted like peanut-butter ice cream. However, DQ would have more luck pairing peanut butter with something that would contrast its nutty flavor, like dark-chocolate brownies.

The one-note quality of this makes it seem like it was made for kids

Wonder Woman Cookie Collision Blizzard

With such a fun name, I had high hopes for this limited-edition Blizzard. Unfortunately, it underwhelmed me. 

Essentially, It's a hodgepodge of chocolatey flavors, but instead of using brownies as the dessert mix-in of choice, it's chocolate chip and chocolate-chocolate cookie dough, which are pretty much indistinguishable from each other.

This had potential, but the similar toppings didn't add much in terms of flavor. If you were to blind taste-test me, I'd probably have a difficult time distinguishing between this one and the regular cookie dough Blizzard, which is disappointing.

Heath Blizzard

I was eager to try the Blizzard because I think Heath is an excellent, underrated candy bar.

The Heath candy bits were finely chopped and distributed well throughout the ice cream. This gave the entire Blizzard a strong toffee taste, which I personally loved.

However, the biggest issue with this one was the texture. Toffee is notoriously sticky and hard, especially when paired with a cold substance like ice cream. As I ate my Blizzard, I noticed the small bits of the candy were getting stuck to parts of my teeth, which made me unwilling to finish it.

Oreo Dirt Pie Blizzard

Although I personally never attended summer camp myself, I have many fond childhood memories of eating Oreo dirt pies at birthday parties.

Normally, the dessert is made using pudding as a base, but here, DQ is putting its own spin on this with its soft serve.

I appreciate the sentiment DQ was trying to convey here, and I'm sure kids will go nuts for this, but I'm not sold on the gummy worms being mixed into the ice cream.

As a topping? Fine. But I didn't care for getting random bites of chewy candy in my ice cream. There's already enough texture going on with the cookie pieces and fudge. Plus, it's not like they add that much flavor.

On a more positive note, I loved how the added extra fudge crumbles really doubled down on the chocolate flavor.

This costs the same as the regular Oreo Blizzard, so you're not necessarily out any extra money if you order this over the other. But for my money, I'd much rather get the regular Oreo Blizzard.

Nestle Drumstick with Peanuts Blizzard

This Blizzard brought me back to childhood days at my Grandma's house.

I'd often dig in the back of the freezer looking for chocolaty Drumstick treats, only to devour an entire cone within a couple of minutes. And every time, my fingers (and the floor) would end up covered in a melted mess.

Years later, I'm still a fan of Drumsticks, but I rarely eat them to avoid dealing with that mess.
Thankfully, DQ has solved that problem by creating a Blizzard with Drumstick bits blended right in that I can enjoy with the convenience of a spoon.

And let me tell you, it did not disappoint. As is the case with most of its blizzards, the vanilla ice cream made for the perfect base, accentuating the peanut-waffle-cone-Nestle chocolate flavor in the mix-ins. Peanut was definitely the predominant flavor, but it wasn't so overpowering that I didn't taste the chocolate.

I wish the peanut bits were larger, though, since they kept getting stuck in my teeth. I understand the peanuts on a drumstick are tiny as is, so there was no changing this.

Still, if you're looking for a peanut-butter dessert that's not too chocolaty or sweet, try this Blizzard. 

Picnic Peach Cobbler Blizzard

In my mind, peach cobbler brings to mind a dessert served warm, and topped with ice cream, so I was curious about this deconstructed Blizzard version.

Overall, this was so-so. The tiny chunks of cold cobbler were easily the star of the show, offering a buttery flavor that was delicious against DQ's basic vanilla soft serve and a shortbread-like texture that was pleasantly crumbly.

That said, I don't know if the peach-topping swirls worked for me. It could have been how my Blizzard was mixed, but I found the distribution of flavor wildly inconsistent; I had to dig around before I got any peach flavor. 

Oreo cookie Blizzard

Although I enjoyed this Blizzard, it was essentially the same thing as cookies-and-cream ice cream.

On a positive note, DQ's signature vanilla soft serve tasted mellower and had a more delicate finish than what you'd find at the grocery store. I also liked that I could taste the icing bits in the Oreos. 

But I probably wouldn't order this one again unless I was on the go and craving something familiar. For the price, I would rather purchase a pint of high-quality cookies-and-cream ice cream from the grocery store.

Ultimate Cookie Blizzard

Introduced in 2024 as June's Blizzard of the Month, this Ultimate Cookie Blizzard is made for people who appreciate lots of texture.

Featuring a blend of vanilla soft serve and Nabisco's finest — Chips Ahoy, Oreos, and Nutter Butters — every spoonful from start to finish contained some bit of cookie chunk. Yum!

Sadly, The Chips Ahoy were barely detectable under the flavor from the Nutter Butter and rich cocoa notes coming from the Oreos. I'm not complaining because it's all tasty, but I wouldn't call this as memorable or impressive as the Oreo brookie Blizzard.

Choco Brownie Extreme Blizzard

As a chocolate lover, I was surprised that I didn't like this one as much as I'd hoped. This Blizzard is proof that there can be too much of a good thing.

This comes with brownie pieces, chocolate fudge, and chocolate chunks. I enjoy all those things individually, but it's almost too much when they're all packed together in an 8-ounce cup.

It was clear to me that the chewy brownie chunks were the star of the show, and the other two chocolaty components didn't add much. The brownies were so fudgy that they blended together with the fudge chunks, too. Part of me feels like the fudge chunks were thrown in just to give this Blizzard its "extreme" name. 

The kicker of this dessert is that it came with vanilla ice cream — not chocolate — but I honestly couldn't taste it underneath all of the toppings. 

Butterfinger Blizzard

This Blizzard consists of vanilla soft serve and a generous amount of nutty, scrumptious Butterfinger bits. I immediately noticed the little orange bits sticking out from the creamy soft serve, so everything looked like it had been mixed well. 

Taste-wise, this blizzard was good but not incredible. The candy bar (or bars?). was ground incredibly fine, which allowed the nutty flavor to blend seamlessly into the soft serve.

However, I felt the candy's chocolate coating got completely lost in the mixing process. That wasn't a dealbreaker, but I still wouldn't call this Blizzard my favorite.

Snickers Blizzard

The symphony of textures makes Snickers one of the US's most beloved candy bars, and the same holds true when it's paired with delicious vanilla soft serve.

Yummy chocolate, smooth caramel, and crunchy peanuts gave this one a pleasant blend of different flavors and without overpowering the ice cream itself.

Of the candy-themed Blizzards I tried, this was one of the better ones.

Brownie batter Blizzard

Don't ever try to tell me that brownie flavor and brownie-batter flavor are the same thing — they're not. This Blizzard is evidence of that, as it had an almost malted flavor to it, which made it slightly sweeter than other chocolate ones. I absolutely loved it.

This tasted like someone froze a bowl of brownie batter. Even better, DQ was not skimpy about the brownie chunks. I got a bit of chewy, fudgy brownie in every single bite down to the bottom of the cup. They also didn't fall into the trap of having a weird grainy taste to them.

 

Reese's peanut-butter cup Blizzard

As advertised, this Blizzard came with vanilla soft serve and noticeable chunks of Reese's peanut butter cups. This made me happy because it meant it contained actual chocolate, not Reese's Pieces, which taste like pure peanut butter to me. 

As expected, everything tasted great. The Reese's chunks had that familiar melt-in-your-mouth flavor that I know and love. However, the further I got into my Blizzard, the fewer peanut butter cups there were, and the less enjoyable it became.

Still, if I had to choose a candy-themed Blizzard, I'd probably order this one again over some of the others.

Peanut-butter puppy chow Blizzard

Puppy chow — or "muddy buddies" depending on where you grew up — is a common snack at many a childhood sleepover, movie night, holiday party, or school event. It's a treat made using basic cereal like Chex, melted chocolate, peanut butter, and powdered sugar.

I'm not surprised Dairy Queen turned it into a mix-in. Still, I wasn't blown away by this flavor. 

It was tasty, and the peanut-butter flavor came through nicely on each bite. However, in my order, the few squares of puppy chow in the mix were clumped toward the bottom. Luckily, when I did eat a piece, it was delicious and nicely softened under the weight of the ice cream while still retaining a slight crispiness.

The pieces also added a subtle bit of salt that's missing with the Reese's Blizzard.

Oreo fudge brownie Blizzard

Like the chain's traditional Oreo Blizzard, this comes with vanilla soft serve and chewy bits of Oreo cookies. The only difference is that this takes it to the next level by adding globs of yummy, fudgy brownies to the mixture.

This was good but it wasn't much of a standout to me because it seemed like the Oreos were reduced to the background.

The brownies dominated the entire dessert, which wasn't a problem for me as a chocolate lover, but it made me question whether the Oreos needed to be there. 

Turtle pecan cluster Blizzard

The blend of buttery pecans, caramel, and vanilla on this Blizzard was absolutely divine. I also liked that my order contained pieces of whole pecans. 

But I found the chocolate fudge shavings to be unnecessary because they weren't noticeable at all. If you didn't tell me they were in there, I would assume they weren't.

That said, this Blizzard earns high marks for its uniqueness and great taste. 

Caramel Drumstick with peanuts Blizzard

You may be thinking "Wait a second, Dairy Queen has always had a Drumstick Blizzard with peanuts." Correct. But this one is different. This one has all that and caramel.  

The addition is very subtle — visually, it looks no different from the other Drumstick Blizzard. But as soon as I took that first bite, it was clear this was a huge step above the original.

The caramel topping was blended seamlessly into the ice cream, offering a touch of yummy sweetness that paired incredibly well with the peanuts and chocolaty drumstick pieces.

In all, it's a wonderful combination of slightly salty, sweet, and nutty flavors.

People who are hoping to get huge globs of gooey caramel might be disappointed. But if you want something that's delicious and sweet but not quite as intense as some of the candy-flavored Blizzards, this will hit the spot.

Oreo brookie Blizzard

Just when you think DQ hasn't done enough with Oreo, the chain adds tiny, dime-sized chunks of brownie-and-chocolate-chip-cookie hybrids. The more cookies, the better. 

Upon the first spoonful, I thought this Blizzard tasted like a typical cookies-and-cream one. But once I got a piece of the brookie, I understood why this was so special. The brookie pieces brought a yummy, fudgy chewiness that was absolutely delightful in contrast to the slightly crunchy Oreos.

The chocolate-chip-cookie component brought in a buttery sweetness that popped against the vanilla ice cream. It was kind of like eating chocolate-chip-cookie dough and cookies-and-cream ice cream with brownie chunks all at once. It was delicious.

Even though the chocolate was the standout flavor here, I didn't find it as intensely cocoa-flavored as the Oreo brownie Blizzard. Since the chunks of brookie are smaller than a coin, they didn't really overpower the Oreo flavor.

In all, this is a winner.

Oreo cheesecake Blizzard

Much like the cheesecake Blizzard, this came with a decent amount of cheesecake chunks. The only difference is that this one's also mixed with Oreo cookies.

I accidentally ordered this with chocolate ice cream instead of vanilla but, even so, it tasted the same as the chain's vanilla soft serve but with a hint of chocolate syrup. 

In my opinion, this is a great option for the cheesecake lover who also wants a little bit of chocolate. The ratio between the two ingredients was fairly even, which meant no one taste dominated the other. In fact, they enhanced each other. The cocoa in the Oreos popped each time I got a bite of them with the creamy cheesecake.

 

 

Chocolate chip cookie dough Blizzard

Cookie dough is one of the most popular ice-cream flavors in the US, and I totally get why. 

The dough bits in this Blizzard were just the right size and, best of all, there were so many of them. This Blizzard was heaven with a great ratio of ice cream to cookie dough. 

The chocolate fudge really made this Blizzard standout from standard, store-bought cookie dough ice cream from the grocery store. The fudge made the ice cream chocolaty, which brought out the sweetness of the doughy bits. It was a nice change from the chocolate-chip ice cream cookie dough's usually paired with. 

Girl Scout Thin Mints Blizzard

Frozen Thin Mints are a thing for a reason, and I'm glad DQ found a way to harness that perfectly cool, chocolaty deliciousness into a Blizzard.

Here, the ice cream had a nice, delicate minty flavor that tasted like a dead ringer for the iconic cookie. The use of vanilla soft serve with mint swirled into it lends to a pleasant, refreshing sweetness that prevents this from tasting like a cup of toothpaste.

The bits of Thin Mint cookies were basically the cherry on top here: perfectly chewy, with their smooth chocolate flavor dancing on the creamy, cool vanilla-mint swirl.

This ended up being one of my favorite Blizzards. The addition of a fudgy chocolate swirl is the only thing that could make this even better. 

Raspberry Fudge Bliss Blizzard

My initial thought on seeing this Blizzard was that it seemed the most "adult" to me because it's the only one with actual fruit in it. 

By far, the best part of this Blizzard was the fresh raspberries. They added a layer of tartness that counteracted the intensity of the chocolate-fudge chunks.

I just wish there were more of them in the Blizzard because once I got a quarter of the way in, all that I tasted was vanilla and chocolate.

 

Frosted animal cookie Blizzard

This Blizzard has the perfect level of sweetness. The small amount of frosting on the animal cookies gave it just a hint of that sugary taste without being too much. 

The cookies also had a nice chewiness to them and they stood up well to the ice cream without getting soggy. 

Best of all, after a few bites, the colorful icing and sprinkles on the cookies melted into the soft serve, which made the entire thing taste like a delicious confetti cake.

Royal New York Cheesecake Blizzard

I'm always a fan of a good dessert within a dessert when it's executed well — fortunately, this Blizzard was a hit. 

The creamy cheesecake chunks made for a superb mix-in for Dairy Queen's soft serve: They had a slightly chewy yet smooth texture that stood up well to the ice cream. I also found that they had a pleasant, sweet flavor that didn't taste artificial or overly sugary.

But it was the strawberry mixture in the center that seriously elevated this Blizzard. As soon as I got to the core, strawberry flavor began to seep into every corner of the cup, giving every subsequent bite a burst of berry flavor.

S'mores Blizzard

When two classics come together, you're bound to end up with something delicious. That's exactly what happened with the s'mores Blizzard, which is why it was my absolute favorite.

Unlike the Royal Rocky Road, which was overpowered by marshmallow, and Chocolate Brownie Extreme, which was too chocolaty, the s'mores Blizzard had just the right amount of everything. 

Instead of mini marshmallows, which can easily turn rubbery when cold, it has chocolate chunks that contain marshmallow filling. It also has graham-cracker pieces and graham-cracker dust that courses throughout the entire Blizzard, causing the ice cream to adopt that irresistible, toasty flavor.

Because of the graham-cracker dust, every bite tastes like a s'more. In other words, this Blizzard is the perfect summer treat, and I can't wait to order it again soon.

This story was originally published on August 17, 2020, and most recently updated on June 13, 2024.