Heh. That shot of mine bothers me in the same way. I wish that order on the right was a little more in focus to give some more detail over there. Here, the sidewalk is just too empty for me, which is emphasized by his posture and where his head is facing. It leads my eye right into the dead space. If the people were there, then I'd be really happy with it. The pillar position also bothers me, and feels like it throws the balance off.
I can try and explain what I think of a photo using logic, but most of it is just paying attention to why my eyes go and if that is a pleasing experience. The rest is trying to explain why my eyes go where they do.