I'm a big mystery and detective fiction fan. I think that's what I spend a large bulk of my non-PhD time reading. My PhD is in children's fantasy, so you can see my leanings towards that sort of genre as well. Interestingly enough, I hardly ever read romance novels. Make of that what you will
For some inexplicable reason I've mostly stuck with writing male protagonists, although having Hope as a main character is just gorgeous.
As far as NaNo goes, I've got another female lead character, with lots of minor characters and only one other strong supporting character. I'm not planning on making it too difficult for myself by needing to develop loads of people properly. I am, however, working really hard on the subplot because otherwise this is going to be so fluffy and sugary it'll make your teeth rot.
Is your street idea not workable at all, or doesn't it appeal any more?
Imogen