Lake Worth is to Palm Beach County what Hollywood is to Broward: an earthy, unpretentious, mildly bohemian oasis in a land of glitz. (Instead of Eastern Europeans it has Finns.)

Hania and I went up Friday and met friends, Vivian and Steve, for dinner at the Pelican Restaurant on Lake Ave. The Pelican is a typical American breakfast and lunch place that, because the owners are from the subcontinent, serves Indian food on Friday evenings (the only evenings it's open for dinner).

On our way there we passed a man walking down the avenue with a snake around his shoulders. We sat outside and munched on papadum while sipping chardonnay. More interesting characters paraded past. Across the street a young man sat on the sidewalk strumming a guitar. A horse-drawn carriage clopped down the avenue, driven by a young blond woman.

The food - curried chicken, 10-vegetable curry, curried potatoes and spinach, dal - was brought by a stocky man from Brooklyn who made sure that the naan on my plate wasn't facing the plate of Hania, the celiac. (The waitress from Michael's Genuine Food should come here for lessons.)

It was the best Indian food I've ever had at an American restaurant.

As we left, we heard someone singing Ol' Man River. We followed the music and came to a puppet theater set up on the sidewalk. Steve had told us about the theater, which usually features opera music. Tonight, it was American musicals. Children sat on the sidewalk, with their parents, watching with interest.

We wandered over to Les Beans Coffeehouse on Second Avenue where a co-worker of Vivian's sister-in-law was performing. Words painted on the front window read: "Organic Fair Trade Coffee." Inside, the singer, Guendolyn Joy, was talking to people between sets. She was a tall woman with long red hair, originally from Barcelona and now living in Boynton Beach. Then she took the small stage, with her guitar, and sang in a large, lovely voice.

When she finished, we strolled some more, passing cute cottages on postage stamp lawns, a bar with a band, a bar with a singer, a place called Havana Hideout with a cigar garden (first I'd seen) and chaise longues sitting in a row along the sidewalk as if at a pool and not the main street. No one reclined in one, though I think the next time I go to Lake Worth I will.