BTW, don't know why I forgot this --
It was mentioned that cruisers tend to have the pedals forward, and I said that it's mainly to help put the body in a more upright position.
What it also does is effectively move the seat a bit lower to the ground. This lets the rider put a foot down while stopped without getting off the seat, yet still lets the legs extend the correct amount for pedaling efficiency.
Anyway, I'll also ditto Tightwad's recommendation of a three-speed, or Rosie8's 7 speed. It really is nicer to have multiple gears.