James Cubby with his latest tour book, "Miami and South Beach," at the gift shop in the Wolfsonian. (Photos by Charlotte Libov)
When James Cubby arrived in South Beach from his home state of Virginia in 1995, he initially planned to be here only as long as he needed to finish a book. But he never left, and now, nearly three decades later, the prolific writer and author has not only chronicled the emergence and subsequent history of the world-famous destination, but is also an enthusiastic supporter and preservationist.
Sporting his trademark fedora, Cubby is a familiar sight as he conducts his daily tours of the city’s Art Deco district. He is also the author of two books about the area, one a tour book, and the other a young adult novel that takes the reader on an adventure throughout the famed architectural neighborhood.
James Cubby with his new book, "Mob Treasure" in the lobby of a Miami Beach Art Deco hotel (Photo by Charlotte Libov)
He will be at three signings for his new books, in different venues on South Beach (one is on Sunday, April 23, at the Esme Hotel; the second is on Wednesday, April 26 at the Wolfsonian-FIU, and, the last is on Tuesday, May 16 at The Betsy Hotel).
Highlighted will be his adult novel, “Mob Treasure,” and he will also be signing his latest travel books, “Miami & South Beach: The Cubby 2023 Long Weekend Guide,” which is one of 40 titles in his new travel series from his new publishing company, the Cubby Media Group.
[ALSO SEE: Art Deco World Congress Comes to Miami Beach]
He is also the author of “South Beach Star,” his thinly veiled account of his years as a nightlife writer during the city’s wild party era, which was published several years ago, back when his hair was platinum blonde, an era, he recalls, “I was lucky to survive.”
Never one for a corporate job, Cubby, who calls himself “an adventurer of life,” has enjoyed several different careers, including being an actor, photographer, teacher, talent agent, writer, publisher, and tour guide.
Born in Roanoke, Va., Cubby spent several years in Los Angeles where he was "already an actor. I did over 150 commercials and would travel back and forth from New York to LA, depending on where the work was."
Upon returning to Roanoke, where had begun to delve into writing, it was then that he decided to visit South Beach.
James Cubby as a tour guide, pointing out the famous terrazzo floor at Miami Beach's Winter Haven hotel. (Photo by Charlotte Libov)
“I walked down Lincoln Road, and thought, ‘I’d love to live here someday,’ ” he recalls.
Three years after that visit, he moved to South Beach. “I thought South Beach would be the perfect place to finish a book I was working on, but I met Andrew Delaplaine (the publisher of "Wire") and he hired me, and I never wrote another sentence in that book,” he says.
Back then, "Wire" was a magazine chronicling South Beach nightlife, and there was a lot to cover, given that celebrities like Madonna were a regular on the scene, Prince owned one of the nightclubs, and there were huge party venues. It was a frenzied scene, which lasted until 1997 when Gianni Versace was murdered on the front steps of his Ocean Drive mansion. It seemed the famous scattered — shocked, and frightened by the broad daylight killing of the world-famous designer.
James Cubby with his proclamation from the City of Miami Beach. (Photo by Charlotte Libov)
“This was in 1995-96, and it was a world of models, celebrities, and beautiful people. I had written about fashion and art in Virginia, but I had never done nightlife photos so I thought, ‘Well, maybe I should do that,’ and then suddenly, I had a weekly column. All of the clubs wanted me there. I’d walk in and my cocktail would be waiting for me,” he recalls.
After the nightlife scene cooled, he also made a name for himself as an editor and writer for numerous magazines, including “Ocean Drive,” “Where Magazine,” LRM (Lincoln Road Magazine,” “City Deluxe,” and others including miamiartzine.com.
Indeed, Cubby says he was making a good living as a writer until the real estate bubble burst, resulting in the economic downturn in 2007-08, which took all advertising revenue with it.
“With so many print publications dying, I thought that being an Art Deco tour guide might be a fun job to do,” says Cubby.
Snapped up by Art Deco Walking Tours, he became a well-reviewed tour guide, even garnering a profile of the tour in the Wall Street Journal.
Like most tour guides, Cubby’s tours were replete with facts about how Florida and Miami Beach came to be, but he soon deviated from the script, telling stories about how mobsters like Al Capone and Meyer Lasky came here, to live, and even die, in Miami Beach
James Cubby on the porch at one of Miami Beach Art Deco district's historic hotels. (Photo by Charlotte Libov)
Indeed, Cubby became so enamored with the Art Deco district that he used it as a setting for his newest book, “Mob Treasures,” his first young adult novel.
The book, which blends South Beach historical fact with fiction, is an engrossing adventure novel that pits a trio of teenagers against mobsters hot on their trail.
“I’ve always been a fan of Art Deco,” says Cubby, noting that he used to seek out the early 20th-century buildings in New York and Los Angeles, two of the cities he lived in before moving to Miami Beach in the 1990s.
In fact, it is Cubby’s devotion to Art Deco –and to the city of Miami Beach – that, on April 17, 2023, he was honored with a proclamation from the City of Miami Beach, proclaiming the day, “James Cubby Day.”
The proclamation reads, in part: “Cubby has undoubtedly played an important role in the world seeing Miami Beach as the epicenter of entertainment, arts and culture…Not just in his writing, but in his nonliterary exploits. He worked as a tour guide in Miami Beach’s Art Deco District for over seven years; for that, we are immensely proud and grateful.
“Mob Treasure” Book Signing, “Sky Sundays,” Sunday, April 23, 6 p.m., Esme Hotel-Rooftop, 1438 Washington Ave., Miami Beach. Information at (305) 805-8050.
“Meet the Author: James Cubby,” 3 to 5 p.m., Wednesday, April 26, Wolfsonian Museum, 1001 Washington Ave., Miami Beach. Information at (305) 531-1001 or www.wolfsonian.org.
Book Signing with James Cubby, 6 to 8 p.m., Tuesday, May 16, The Betsy Hotel, 1440 Ocean Drive, Miami Beach. Information at (866) 792-3879.
