In late autumn the blue hour here arrives early and stays long. It is the best time of year for long exposures and the worst time of year for cold fingers.
I used to skip the tripod because it is heavy and slow. That was a mistake. Even a cheap, light tripod lets you shoot at the slowest film speeds and stop the lens down, and the difference in sharpness is obvious on the negative.
Arrive twenty minutes before the street lights come on. Meter for the sky, not the lamps. Bracket by one stop in both directions, because film reciprocity failure will surprise you on exposures longer than a second.
Then pack up, walk home in the dark, and find a café that is still open.