Thank you - at least half the challenge is getting your camera in the interesting spots... timing is also important, but not so much for this type of daylight shot. No sun coming in directly is a factor plus diffused light from an often overcast city helps in some respects.
Uncropped/unedited version to show you where I began:

(I was kicking myself for not dragging a tripod along, but I was out for a walk around the bay surveying what there might be to see, when you find yourself without a tripod, you have to improvise or use a fast enough shutter speed that most camera shake is nullified. Without a special stabilized sensor, a normal person can hold a 1/60 sec shot steady enough to get a decent result... any longer than that and things get out of focus/blurred due to camera shake. Find a rail or lean against a pillar, tree, wall for stability.