North Gower St, Mid-Wilshire

Gower is a pretty gross street until it hits the Beachwood Canyon area which nearly the end of Gower. It runs through the grosser parts of East Hollywood and it's really slummy. On the flipside, if you're headed North on the East side, it's a relatively fast street to take -- it's much faster than Cahuenga, Highland, or La Brea. There's not really anything to see or do on Gower. There aren't any bars or restaurants. It's just street and run down apartments. There's one little area right around Franklin that has a 7-11 and a Subway and some other scary looking places; but, other than that, it's pretty bleak.
Once Gower is north of the freeway underpass, however, it turns into a really lovely street. The beachwood area apartments and houses are lovely. And, the homes at the top of Gower have a great view. Most of the houses are 60's style, but a lot of them have been remodeled on the inside and they're beautiful. There's never any parking on this street but it's only a pain if you're visiting one of the residents and it's late.
Other than north of the freeway, I wouldn't use Gower for anything other than a less congested street to drive on. It's not great to say the least.

The street is quiet, but there is a lot of car traffic. The street is narrow, so cars often honk at each other. The people are friendly, and the light is good. There are many trees, and a monastery that sells pumpkin bread.